Riham Mohammad Al Arawi, Hamdy Abou El-Fotouh And Nora Mohamed Sheta,

ABSTRACT
AIM: The Aim Of This In Vitro Study Was To Compare And Evaluate The Amount Of Force Needed To Fracture The Over Denture Supported By Implant With Ball And Bar Attachments.

Materials & Methods: Two Identical Mandibular Overdentures Were Constructed Over The Stone Cast Which Is Duplicated From Epoxy Resin Model In A Conventional Way. Two Identical Implants (4 X 11mm) Were Placed At The Canine Region On Both Sides Following The Surgical Protocol Of The Implant Placement. The Study Was Divided Into Two Group: Group I: Where The Two Implant Were Attached Together With A Bar. Group II: Where The Two Implants Were Connected To Ball/socket Attachment. Pick Up Technique Of Overdenture With Bar And Ball/socket Attachment Was Done. All Samples Were Individually Mounted On A Computer Controlled Materials Testing Machine With A Load Cell Of 5KN And Data Were Recorded Using Computer Software. The Fracture Test Was Done By Compressive Mode Of Load Applied Occlusally Using The T-shaped Load Applicator. The Software Was Adjusted To Register The Load And The Number Of Cycles Corresponded To The Fracture Of The Specimen. Result: Fracture Resistance Test Results Revealed That The Highest Mean Values Of The Fracture Resistance Loads Were Found In The Over Denture With Bar Group But There Was No Statistical Significant Difference Between The Two Groups Conclusion: Within The Limitations Of This Study It Could Be Concluded That: Using A Bar And Ball As An Attachment System In Implant Retained Over Denture As A Treatment Plan Is A Simple, Affordable With Minimum Surgical Intervention. The Fracture Pattern Of The Over Denture Retained Over The Bar Attachment Was More Favorable And Less Extensive Compared To The Over Denture Retained With Ball/socket Attachment.