Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of a vent hole on the retentive force of a cement-retained superstructure to an abutment.
Methods: The retentive force of superstructures with/without a vent hole, retained using one of two luting cements, was measured using a universal testing machine both before and after thermocycling
Results: The retentive force of the cement-retained superstructure with the vent hole was greater than that of the cement-retained superstructure without the vent hole. While the retentive force decreased significantly after thermocycling, the size of the vent hole had little influence on the retentive force.
Conclusion: It was concluded that placement of a vent hole in the superstructure is useful, with little adverse effect on the retentive force of the restoration.
