Bacterial adhesion affinities of various implant abutment materials.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate bacterial adhesion to various abutment materials. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty volunteers participated in this study. Resin splints were fabricated, and five types of disks were fabricated from pure titanium, gold-platinum alloy, zirconia, alumina, and hydroxyapatite with uniform surface roughness and attached to the buccal surface of each splint. After 4 days of use by the subjects, the plaque accumulated on the disk surfaces was analyzed. The bacterial community structure was evaluated using 16S rRNA gene profiling with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The total bacterial count on each disk was estimated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism profiles were more similar between tested materials than between subjects, suggesting that the bacterial community structures on the abutment material were influenced more by the individuals than by the type of material. However, the total number of bacteria attached to a disk was significantly different among five materials (P < 0.001, Brunner-Langer test for longitudinal data). Fewer bacteria were attached to the gold-platinum alloy than to the other materials. CONCLUSIONS: Gold-platinum alloy appears to be useful material for abutments when considering the accumulation of plaque. However, alternative properties of the abutment material, such as effects on soft tissue healing, should also be taken into consideration when choosing an abutment material.

Effect of titanium surface calcium and magnesium on adhesive activity of epithelial-like cells and fibroblasts.

In the present study, we investigated the hydrothermal treatment of titanium with divalent cation solutions and its effect in promoting the adhesion of gingival epithelial cells and fibroblasts in vitro. Gingival keratinocyte-like Sa3 cells or fibroblastic NIH3T3 cells were cultured for 1 h on experimental titanium plates hydrothermally-treated with CaCl(2) (Ca) or MgCl(2) (Mg) solution, or distilled water (DW). The number and adhesive strengths of attached cells on the substrata were then analyzed. The number of Sa3 cells adhering to the Ca- and Mg-treated plates was significantly larger than in the DW group, but the strength of this adhesion did not differ significantly between groups. In contrast, NIH3T3 cell adhesion number and strength were increased in both the Ca and Mg groups compared to the DW group. Fluorescent microscopic observation indicated that, in all groups, Sa3 had identical expression levels of integrin ß4 and development of actin filaments, whereas NIH3T3 cells in the Ca and Mg groups displayed much stronger punctate cytoplasmic signals for vinculin and more bundle-shaped actin filaments than cells in the DW group. As a result, it was indicated that the hydrothermal treatment of titanium with Ca or Mg solution improved the integration of soft tissue cells with the substrata, which may facilitate the development of a soft tissue barrier around the implant.