Objectives: To reduce the potential for screw loosening, clinicians should apply an adequate and reproducible closing torque on the abutment/implant assembly. There is a wide variation in the ability of clinicians to perceive adequate torque control. The aim of this study was to evaluate the closing torque generated with mechanical torque devices for implants. Methods: Eight clinicians (four experienced with more than 50 implant-supported prosthodontic cases, four non-experienced with less than 20 implant-supported prosthodontic cases) performed ten consecutive closures with different torque devices. The following devices with different settings were used: Camlog (Camlog Biotechnologies, CH-Basel) with 20 Ncm (C_20) and 30 Ncm (C_30), ITI (Straumann, CH-Waldenburg) with 20 Ncm (S_20) and 32 Ncm (S_32), Friadent (Dentsply Friadent D-Mannheim) with 24 Ncm (F_24). The torque outputs were recorded using different abutment screws that were fixed on an electronic torque tester (TorqueTester, Theinert, D-Plüderhausen). Clinicians were not informed at any time which torque value they achieved. After seven days the measurements were repeated. Results: The mean values (Ncm) and the standard deviation for all clinicians in the fist trial were 22.2±4.2 (C_20), 30.1±3.5 (C_30), 22.3±4.0 (N_20), 35.7±3.6 (N_32), 31.2±3.9 (F_24). The Minimum and maximum values for the first trial were 14.2, 30.8 (C_20), 23.9, 36.4 (C_30), 12.2, 29.8 (N_20), 28.3, 43.5 (N_32), 22.7, 39.8 (N_24). Statistically significant differences (SSD, p≤0.05, t-tests) between the first and second trial could be shown for the four non-experienced clinicians for two of the five torque/device combinations. For two experienced clinicians no SSD between the first and second trial were found (p>0.5), while for two experienced clinicians SSD was found for one of the five torque/devices combinations only (p≤0.05). Conclusions: Experienced clinicians showed more consistencies in torque control than non-experienced clinicians.

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