Is the re-use of sterilized implant abutments safe enough? (Implant abutment safety)

Background: The reuse of implant healing abutments is common in dental practice. Effective elimination of bacteria and viruses is accomplished by conventional sterilization. The aim of this work was to explore the eventual survival of microorganisms on sterilized healing abutments and to rule out the presence of transmissible organic material after standard procedures. Material and Methods: A total of 55 healing abutments previously used in patients will be washed and sterilized in a steam autoclave at 121oC for 15 min. Each healing abutment will be cultured in Brain Heart Infusion broth (BHI) under strict aseptic conditions. Besides, two control groups will be included: one of 3 unused hea…