Abstract
The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the alterations of a titanium surface after treatment with two different types of ultrasonic tips: conventional steel versus an innovative copper alloy silver-plated one. Twenty smooth-surface, grade IV unalloyed titanium discs were divided into two groups. The discs were ultrasonically instrumented and the scaler was connected with a loading machine. The surface morphology was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fractal analysis of lacunarity was calculated to highlight the alteration of the surface using the two different tips. The SEM analysis showed different degrees of surface roughness between the two types of scaler tips. Moreover, these observations demonstrated that the new tip showed fewer irregularities on the disc’s surface than the conventional steel tip. The statistical and fractal analysis showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Surface alterations of titanium induced by the conventional ultrasonic tips were much greater than those made by copper alloy silver plated tips. The presented results suggest that the use of this new ultrasonic tip may reduce the alterations on the implant surface during its use in dental practice.
Highlights
The presence of bacteria on the implant surface may cause peri-implant mucositis or periimplantitis [1,2]
The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were randomly taken in 5 different areas and analysed
The analysed surfaces showed clear differences between the two tips in terms of surface morphology alteration. (Figures 2A,B and 3A,B). It emerged that the discs instrumented with the conventional steel tip showed important surface alterations
Summary
The presence of bacteria on the implant surface may cause peri-implant mucositis (a reversible inflammation of the peri-implant tissues) or periimplantitis (a non-reversible process which causes bone loss) [1,2]. The surface roughness seems to be attractive for bacteria and increases bacterial plaque accumulation on the implant surface. For this purpose, some surface treatments with an extremely tightly controlled roughness have been developed and were demonstrated to have a good attractiveness for the cells but less for bacterial colonization, reducing the risk of peri-implantitis and contamination of the implant surface [5,6].The treatment for peri-implantitis includes decontamination of the surface exposed to biofilm in order to eliminate inflammation and to make the exposed surface biocompatible with re-osseointegration as the ultimate objective [7,8,9,10]. In patients with implant-supported prostheses, good oral hygiene with a correct mechanical instrumentation is Materials 2018, 11, 2345; doi:10.3390/ma11122345 www.mdpi.com/journal/materials
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