Effect of two types of splint material on dimensional changes in angled implant impression technique

One of the concerns of dentists is to take an impression of a number of implants simultaneously in order to fabricate a prosthetic appliance. One of the methods for taking high-precision impressions and achieving a good fit for dentures is to use dental splinting, but what is important is the choice of the material for the preparation of splints. What is important is stability in splint sizes to better match the prosthesis. In this study, the effects of using self-cured Duralay acrylic resin and light-cured ImplaFix acrylic resin as two splint materials for angular implant impressions were evaluated.
In this experimental laboratory study, the main model used was made of epoxy resin. Three fixtures were placed 15 mm apart. The central implant was placed at a right angle and the two lateral implants were placed at 15° angle relative to the central implant. Impression copings were placed and splints were prepared with ImplaFix or Duralay acrylic resins. After 14 impression taking procedures, the dimensional changes in the casts were determined with a CMM machine in three axes (z, y, x). Mann-Whitney test was used for data analysis (α=0.05).
Evaluations were carried out on 14 samples, including 7 Duralay acrylic resin and 7 ImplaFix samples. This study showed that change in Duralay acrylic resin in the three axes (x, y and z) were more than those in implaFix. The difference in y axis was not statistically significant but the changes in x and z axes were statistically significant based on results of Mann-Whitney test (p value The use of ImplaFix is recommended due to lower dimensional changes and ease of use compared to Duralay acrylic resin.