Investigation of the Corrosive Effects of Dental Cements on Titanium

Biocompatibility, strength, and corrosion resistance make titanium the material of choice for dental implants and abutment components. In cemented implant restorations, dental cement is used to provide retention of the crown to the abutment and to create access to the implant. Reported problems in the literature associated with dental cement cite inflammation, and in some cases peri-implantitis, due to its residual presence in subgingival tissues. It has been recently suggested that particular components of dental cement may play a role in promoting corrosion while in contact with titanium surfaces. The goal of this study was to understand the electrochemical behavior of commercially pure titanium (cpTi) in contact with various commercially available dental cements. Open-circuit potential, linear polarization resistance, and corrosion rates were measured for cpTi disks cemented with resin, eugenol, zinc phosphate, and bioceramic cements. Results determined that the bioceramic cement investigated induced significantly lower polarization resistance values and a higher corrosion rate relative to noncemented cpTi. Resin, eugenol, and zinc phosphate cements exhibited corrosion behavior between that of control and bioceramic-cemented cpTi. Overall, fluoride-containing cements were observed to increase the corrosion rate of cpTi.