Microtomographic Characterization of Morse-Tapered Implant Systems as Material–Biological Interfaces: Implications for Peri-Implant Soft Tissue Stability

Advanced dental implant systems are clinically successful when their material properties, surface topography, abutment geometry and implant–abutment connection design support both mechanical stability and biological integration. In Morse-tapered implant–abutment systems and conometric prosthetic retention systems, the precision of conical interfaces has traditionally been discussed mainly in biomechanical terms; however, their clinical performance also depends on the formation and maintenance of a stable peri-implant soft tissue seal. This review examines micro-computed tomography (µCT), with emphasis on synchrotron radiation-based phase-contrast micro-computed tomography (SR-PhC-µCT), as an advanced characterization strategy for evaluating how implant and abutment design influence the three-dimensional architecture of peri-implant connective tissues. The review summarizes the biological organization of the peri-implant mucosa, the technical basis of absorption- and phase-contrast microtomography, sample preparation protocols, segmentation workflows, artificial intelligence-assisted image analysis and quantitative morphometric descriptors of collagen organization. Particular attention is given to human retrieval and biopsy studies of Morse-tapered/conometric systems, where three-dimensional imaging has revealed interwoven circumferential and longitudinal collagen bundles around the transmucosal implant component. These microarchitectural features have been directly visualized by SR-PhC-µCT and histology and may represent a biomechanically plausible basis for mucosal sealing and force distribution. However, their direct relationship with marginal bone preservation and long-term clinical outcomes remains to be demonstrated in longitudinal studies. Within the scope of advanced dental materials, the novelty of this review lies in framing SR-PhC-µCT, correlative histology and AI-assisted segmentation as enabling tools within a materials-design framework for implant–abutment optimization. In this framework, peri-implant collagen architecture is interpreted as an exploratory structural readout of the interaction among connection design, abutment geometry, surface topography and biological response. This approach does not yet establish validated clinical biomarkers, but it may generate testable hypotheses for future studies aimed at improving peri-implant soft tissue stability and implant–abutment system design.