The part of a dental implant that functions to retain and/or support a removable or fixed dental prosthesis. Frequently, endosteal dental implants have a temporary or preliminary abutment before a definitive dental abutment and prosthesis is placed. Preliminary abutments are called interim (dental implant) abutments. The final abutment that supports the definitive (final) prosthesis is called a definitive (final) dental implant abutment. Dental implant abutments are often identified by their descriptive form (i.e., cylindrical, barrel), material (i.e., titanium, ceramic, zirconia ceramic), or special design factors (i.e., external/internal hex lock, Morse taper, or spline).