RESUMO
The peri-implant bacterial colonization is one of the current major problems facing dental implants with no actual protocols for prevention. The use of zirconium for bacterial eradication has already been reported and discussed in the dental literature. In this study we evaluated for the first time the ability of a "hybrid" dental implant model – where the implant collar is made out of titanium and zirconium - to reduce the peri-implant bacterial colonization, using traditional implants from the same manufacturer as controls. The results of microbiological analysis and the evaluation of the classic parameters of an implant success confirmed that, in all the 30 patients in this study, the zirconium collar had a vital role in reducing peri-implant bacterial colonization, and that the "hybrid" implants show lower plaque index values, less bleeding and less marginal bone loss than the traditional implants. Our data therefore suggest that a zirconium collar can effectively reduce the bacterial colonization around a titanium implant favoring a better long-term prognosis.