Effect of titanium and zirconia dental implant abutments on a cultivable polymicrobial saliva community (original) (raw)

The biologic complications of peri-implantitis may present a problem during dental implant therapy. 1-3 Peri-implantitis is associated with about 17% of installed implants after 10 to 16 years of follow-up. 4 In a recent review, Mombelli et al 5 revealed that the prevalence of peri-implantitis seems to be 20% between 5 and 10 years after implantation. Although peri-implant disease is immunologically stimulated by the host, the inflammatory process is bacteria dependent. A similar pattern of colonization is present in periodontal and periimplant disease, 6-10 although with some differences in patients with partial and complete edentulism. 11 This disease pattern has direct clinical implications, especially with regard to choosing implant surface materials. Surface attachment is the first step to biofilm development and is an important precursor to the adaptive behavior of bacteria species as it is the base for the colonization and invasion of pathogens. 12 The hydrophobic attractive forces and electrostatic charge interactions between cells and material surfaces 13-16 are Supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP; grant 2011/05106-6), Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Education Personnel (CAPES; grant 5603/13-7), and the Lemann Foundation. Conexão Sistema de Prótese donated the pure commercially available titanium and zirconia stabilized with yttrium disks used in this study.