Innovative prosthetic solutions on dental implants

Aims: Six complementary studies were conducted to address critical gaps in the scientific literature concerning innovative prosthetic solutions, extra-short implant-supported rehabilitations, zirconia bonding strategies, and cementation protocols. Methods: Study 1 investigated the morphological and surface characteristics of Seeger rings in the OT Bridge system through laboratory and clinical evaluations over 12 months. Study 2 performed a 10-year retrospective analysis to assess survival and success rates of extra-short implant-supported rehabilitations and to examine the clinical influence of the prosthetic emergence angle. Study 3 evaluated the shear bond strength (SBS) of zirconia following airborne particle abrasion (APA) and different cleaning protocols at baseline and after thermocycling. Study 4 consisted of a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing zirconia etching protocols and APA. Study 5 systematically reviewed the effects of tack-cure (TC) versus conventional polymerization on resin cement properties. Study 6 assessed the influence of TC on the interfacial quality and degree of conversion of universal resin cement. Results: After 12 months, Seeger rings exhibited increased surface roughness without structural degradation. Extra-short implants demonstrated 94.1% survival rate and 90.24% success rate over 10 years. Emergence angles <30° with concave or straight profiles were associated with reduced marginal bone loss (MBL). Post-APA cleaning with KATANA Cleaner and Ivoclean provided higher and more stable bond strength after aging compared to ultrasonic cleaning. Meta-analysis revealed that APA achieved significantly higher bond strength than conventional etching, although high-concentration hydrofluoric acid (HF) and experimental hot-etching or multi-acid solutions showed comparable performance. TC polymerization demonstrated mechanical properties and interfacial quality comparable or superior to conventional methods, improving cement excess management. Both TC and dual-cure (DC) protocols achieved higher degrees of conversion than light-cure (LC) or self-cure (SC) polymerization modes. Conclusions: These findings support evidence-based protocols to optimize implant-supported rehabilitations through improved prosthetic design, material selection, surface treatment, and cementation strategies.