Influence of Titanium versus Temporary Peek Abutments on Peri- Implant Tissue Contouring in Single Crowns in the Esthetic Area: A Controlled Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of titanium abutment versus a temporary PEEK abutment on the peri-implant tissue contouring of implant-supported temporary single crowns in the esthetic area. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty single implants were sequentially allocated, 15 in the prefabricated titanium abutment group (TA) and 15 in the temporary PEEK abutment group (PA). Clinical parameters were assessed at T1 (time of provisional crown installation) and T2 (end of tissue contouring). Outcomes included Visible Plaque Index (VPI), Mucosal Bleeding Index (MBI), Probing Depth (PD), Keratinized Mucosa Width (KTM), Mucosal Thickness (MT), Bleeding on Probing (BoP), papilla height/width ratio (PH/PW), Crown Height to Width Ratio (CH/CW), and Pink Esthetic Score (PES). Mann-Whitney, Pearson's chi-square/ Fisher's exact and Spanova tests were used to analyze the results. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 19 female patients (67.9%) and 9 male patients (32.1%), with a significant age difference between the groups (P= 0.036). Both groups showed significant improvement in PES following peri-implant tissue contouring (P < 0.001), with no significant group × time interaction. Clinical parameters, including VPI, MBI, PD, BoP, MT, and KTW, remained comparable between groups throughout the study period. The VPI increased slightly in both groups, without a significant time effect (P = 0.086) or group × time interaction (P = 0.364). CONCLUSIONS: Temporary PEEK and titanium abutments are equivalent in terms of peri-implant tissue stability and esthetic outcomes during crown conditioning.