Frequency of Contamination on Used Healing Abutments after Sterilization: An In Vitro Study.

Abstract

To determine and compare the frequency of contamination on different sites of healing abutments (HAs) after sterilization with Phloxine B dye on unused and used HAs after sterilization. A total of 60 HAs were divided into two test groups: (1) used and sterilized and (2) a control group (unused). The test group was evaluated for contamination after sterilization; the control group did not undergo any procedure. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 (IBM). Descriptive statistics were used to determine the frequency of contamination in the different groups and at the different HA sites. Chi-square test was used to evaluate the association of frequency of contamination with the HA site and design. The level of significance was kept at P ≤ .01. The test group showed more contamination compared to the control group. The most contaminated sites were the screw thread and the screwdriver engagement location. HA reuse is cost-effective, but cleaning and sterilization was not effective for these components; thus, HAs need to be reused with caution because they were heavily contaminated when compared to new HAs. Among the different sites, the screw thread and screwdriver engagement sites were more prone to contamination. HA type did not influence the frequency of contamination.