Morphological Evaluation of the Seeger in OT Bridge System: A Clinical and Laboratory Study

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the morphological characteristics and wear level of Seeger rings from the OT Bridge system, assessing whether exposure to the oral environment or prolonged intraoral use could cause surface alterations. Materials and Methods: The study was divided into two complementary phases: an in vitro experimental phase and a clinical-laboratory analysis. In the first phase, Seeger rings were immersed in artificial saliva for 7 days at 37°C and analyzed under multiple magnifications (35X, 50X, 200X, 1000X) using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), both before and after immersion. In the second phase, 11 Seeger rings retrieved after one year of intraoral function from fixed prostheses in a patient treated with the OT Bridge system were compared to a new, unused Seeger. All samples underwent digital microscopic analysis (VHX-7000, Keyence, Milan, Italy). Surface and linear roughness values (Ra, Rz, Sa, Sz) were processed using SigmaPlot software (Systat Software Inc., San Jose, CA, USA), applying one-way ANOVA and Holm-Sidak post hoc test (p<0.05). Results: SEM analysis revealed no visible alterations at lower magnifications, while only slight micrometric morphological changes were observed at 1000X. Microscopic evaluation showed no significant differences in linear roughness values (Ra and Rz) between the control and the used Seeger rings (p>0.05). However, significant differences were found in surface roughness values (Sa and Sz) (p<0.05). Conclusions: Prolonged use and exposure of Seeger rings to the oral environment did not result in significant alterations, supporting the system’s reliability. However, further prospective studies with longer follow-up evaluating the morphology of the rings without the screw are needed to assess the potential impact on prosthetic retention.