Assembly analysis of titanium dental implants using X-ray computed tomography

Dental implants are commonly used as replacement of tooth roots to support dental prosthetics. A successful implant therapy can be complicated by biological and/or mechanical factors. Tight dimensional tolerances are required to ensure a correct fit between implant, abutment and screw. In this context, verifying the quality of the assembly becomes crucial. Micro X-ray computed tomography (CT) is a unique tool for inspection of assemblies, since it allows analysing the individual components in the assembled state. However, the identification of contact surfaces is complicated when the components that are in contact are made of the same material, as holds for several dental implant types. In this work, new CT-based methods to assess the quality of mono-material assemblies are presented. Experiments are performed on different types of titanium dental implants. A metrological CT system was used to measure dimensional deviations and deformations of the assembled components caused by assembly operations. Moreover, contact surfaces between implant, abutment and screw were identified and measured.