In vivo wear of three types of veneering materials using implant-supported restorations: a method evaluation.

In a previous study, we determined the precision and the positional duplicability of a system that used implant connectors to transfer restorations between the oral cavity and the measuring device. The objectives of the present study were to determine whether this testing procedure was suitable for clinical use, and to apply the procedure to the longitudinal assessment of the wear of three types of veneering materials. Ten patients received a total of 12 restorations. The restorations were made either of ceramic (positive control), poly(methylmethacrylate) resin (negative control) or of composite resin. The restorations were profiled at baseline and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months. For profiling, the restorations were secured to the x-y table of the measuring device using the octagonal connector of the ITI implant system. Numerical analyzes were performed using a commercial array-oriented software package. The ceramic and the composite wore at roughly 12-14 microm yr(-1) (height) 10-12 microm3 microm2 yr(-1) (volume). The resin wore at c. 50 micorm yr(-1) (height) and c. 45 microm3 microm2 yr(-1) (volume). The error of the procedure was estimated at +/- 13%. It was concluded that the procedure was applicable for clinical studies, and that the composite did not differ from the ceramic as to its wear rate.