MECHANICAL EVALUATION OF POLYETHERETHERKETONE COMPARED WITH ZIRCONIA AS A DENTAL IMPLANT MATERIAL

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Dental implants are currently one of the main pillars of restorative dentistry. Titanium and its alloys were and still are the gold standard for dental implant materials. However, Titanium is not a perfect material and has many drawbacks thus the search for a more ideal material is ongoing. Zirconia and Polyetheretherketone are two viable alternatives to titanium as dental implant materials. They show different mechanical behavior invitro and invivo, so they are investigated and compared to each other. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate and compare the different material properties of Polyetheretherketone and yttrium-stabilized tetragonal polycrystalline zirconia when used as dental implant material. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Microbars of zirconia and Polyetheretherketone were prepared using precision cutter and low speed micro motor under water cooling and used to assess the following properties for the two materials: 1) Vickers Microhardness 2) Flexural strength before and after cyclic loading RESULTS: There was a highly significant difference between hardness of zirconia and Polyetheretherketone. There was also a highly significant difference between flexural strength of zirconia and Polyetheretherketone (both before and after cyclic loading). There was significant decrease in flexural strength of zirconia after cyclic loading. No significant difference was found for Polyetheretherketone after cyclic loading. CONCLUSIONS: Polyetheretherketone is a promising alternative to titanium and zirconium as a dental implant material.