Hybrid Implant Abutments: A Literature Review

Abstract

Ceramic implant abutments are becoming increasingly popular due to the growing esthetic demands of patients. Two-piece ceramic abutments have the advantages of both ceramic and titanium abutments. This study aimed to review the published articles regarding hybrid abutments and their characteristics.Published articles regarding two-piece abutments were retrieved by electronic search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Medline, and Google Scholar databases using certain keywords. Articles highly relevant to our topic of interest were selected and reviewed.The presence of titanium inserts in hybrid abutments can overcome the brittleness of ceramic, increase the overall fracture resistance, prevent the implant connection wear, and provide better marginal fit compared with one-piece zirconia abutments. Hybrid abutments enable the fabrication of monolithic metal-free implant restorations with optimal esthetics. Furthermore, the risk of porcelain chipping, which is a common complication of implant restorations, is eliminated due to the monolithic structure of these restorations.According to the available literature, hybrid implant abutments have shown promising results with regard to optimal esthetics in the rehabilitation of the esthetic zone. However, long-term clinical studies are required to assess the long-term durability of all-ceramic restorations supported by hybrid abutments.