Reusing healing abutments goes against federal guidelines

Dental Tribune International

Tue. 20. August 2024

save

CHICAGO, US: Although manufacturers indicate that healing abutments (HAs) are single-use components, HAs are sometimes reused in clinical practice. Academic institutions being at the forefront of evidence-based dentistry, a study has looked into the prevalence of reuse of HAs across American periodontics residency programmes and their decontamination protocols, as concerns have arisen about their reuse owing to potential cross-contamination and the risk of initiating inflammatory responses in patients. The researchers found that, although only a small number of programmes reuse HAs, the lack of standardisation of decontamination practices could put patients at risk of exposure to biomaterials.

The researchers utilised a survey distributed to programme directors of 57 accredited periodontics residency programmes in the US. The survey included seven questions focused on the reuse of HAs, the duration for which they are left in situ and the decontamination techniques employed.

Among the 14 programmes that completed the survey, three reported reusing HAs. The responses revealed an almost even split between one-stage and two-stage implant placement protocols. The duration that HAs remained in situ varied widely, from four weeks to six months, depending on the case specifics and the protocol followed.

Decontamination techniques included manual cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning, rinsing and heat sterilisation in autoclaves. However, the lack of standardisation in the methods used raises concerns, given the results of multiple studies cited in the paper that demonstrated incomplete removal of biomaterials from HA surfaces after standard cleaning procedures and autoclave sterilisation in clinical practice. This residual contamination poses a risk of cross-patient contamination and could lead to adverse biological responses, such as inflammation, which may compromise the success of the implant.

Furthermore, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration imply that HAs should be treated as single-use devices and thus should not be reused. Despite this, economic pressures in educational settings may influence the decision to reuse these components, potentially compromising patient safety. Additionally, the ethical and legal implications of reusing single-use devices, especially without patient consent, are significant and could expose institutions to litigation.

The findings of this study suggest that the reuse of HAs is not widespread in periodontics residency programmes. However, the authors emphasised that further research is needed to assess the true extent of HA reuse in both educational and private practice settings. Moreover, there is an urgent need to establish standardised, effective decontamination protocols to ensure that reused HAs do not pose a risk to patients.

The study, titled “Are healing abutments being reused in periodontics residency programs in the United States? A survey-based study”, was published online on 4 July 2024 in the Journal of Dental Education, ahead of inclusion in an issue.

Topics:

Restorative Dentistry

Tags:

Abutment Biomaterial Cross contamination Dental schools Sterilisation

To post a reply please login or register

Chinese company accused of illegally acquiring thousands of corpses for dental bone grafts

TAIYUAN, China: Over the last couple of weeks, details have begun emerging of an investigation into a disturbing and highly profitable trade in dead body ...

How clean do sterile implants have to be? Analysis and clinical relevance of factory-related contaminations

The initial phase of the biological response to a placed implant is primarily determined by the implant’s surface characteristics. The properties of any ...

UCLA researchers develop technology to dramatically reduce peri-implantitis

LOS ANGELES, US: With reported cases as high as 19%, the battle against peri-implantitis has left clinicians and researchers constantly searching for ways ...

CleanImplant Foundation to raise awareness about implant quality management at EAO congress

GENEVA, Switzerland: The non-profit CleanImplant Foundation will be present at the 29th Annual Scientific Meeting of the European Association for ...

Improving oral health in India using mobile dental vans

WARDHA, India: Health authorities in India face several obstacles in the efficient delivery of dental care, including a dentist-to-population ratio that is ...

Photodynamic therapy: Indispensable adjunct for disinfecting immediate restorations

LONDON, UK: The SKY fast & fixed implant of bredent improves bone quality and quantity and reduces the risk of complications. The majority of patients ...

Education

On-demand
webinar