Accuracy of torque-limiting devices: A comparative evaluation

作者：Albayrak Haydar; Gumus Hasan Onder; Tursun Funda; Kocaagaoglu Hasan Huseyin; Kilinc Halil Ibrahim

来源：Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 2017, 117(1): 81-86.

DOI：10.1016/j.prosdent.2016.07.005

Statement of problem. To prevent the loosening of implant screws, clinicians should be aware of the output torque values needed to achieve the desired preload. Accurate torque-control devices are crucial in this regard; however, little information is currently available comparing the accuracy of mechanical with that of electronic torque-control devices.
Purpose. The purpose of this in vitro study was to identify and compare the accuracy of different types of torque-control devices.
Material and methods. Devices from 5 different dental implant manufacturers were evaluated, including 2 spring-type (Straumann, Implance) mechanical devices (MTLD), 2 friction-type (Biohorizons, Dyna) MTLDs, and 1 (Megagen) electronic torque-control device (ETLD). For each manufacturer, 5 devices were tested 5 times with a digital torque tester, and the average for each device was calculated and recorded. The percentage of absolute deviations from the target torque values (PERDEV) were calculated and compared by using 1-way ANOVA. A 1-sample t test was used to evaluate the ability of each device to achieve its target torque value within a 95% confidence interval for the true population mean of measured values (alpha=.05 for all statistical analyses).
Results. One-way ANOVAs revealed statistically significant differences among torque-control devices (P<.001). ETLD showed higher PERDEVs (28.33 +/- 9.53) than MTLDs (P<.05), whereas PERDEVS of friction-type (7.56 +/- 3.64) and spring-type (10.85 +/- 4.11) MTLDs did not differ significantly. In addition, devices produced by Megagen had a significantly higher (P<.05) PERDEV (28.33 +/- 9.53) other devices, whereas no differences were found in devices manufactured by Biohorizons (7.31 +/- 5.34), Dyna (7.82 +/- 1.08), Implance (8.43 +/- 4.77), and Straumann (13.26 +/- 0.79). However, 1-sample t tests showed none of the torque-control devices evaluated in this study were capable of achieving their target torque values (P<.05).
Conclusions. Within the limitations of this in vitro study, MTLDs were shown to be significantly more accurate than ETLDs. However, none of the torque-control devices evaluated were able to meet their target torque values successfully.

• 出版日期2017-1