Streptococcus sanguinis adhesion on titanium rough surfaces: effect of shot-blasting particles

Dental implant failure is commonly associated to dental plaque formation. This problem starts with bacterial colonization on implant surface upon implantation. Early colonizers (such as Streptococcus sanguinis) play a key role on that process, because they attach directly to the surface and facilitate adhesion of later colonizers. Surface treatments have been focused to improve osseointegration, where shot-blasting is one of the most used. However the effects on bacterial adhesion on that sort of surfaces have not been elucidated at all. A methodological procedure to test bacterial adherence to titanium shot-blasted surfaces (alumina and silicon carbide) by quantifying bacterial detached cells per area unit, was performed. In parallel, the surface properties of samples (i.e., roughness and surface energy), were analyzed in order to assess the relationship between surface treatment and bacterial adhesion. Rather than roughness, surface energy correlated to physicochemical properties of shot-blasted particles appears as critical factors for S. sanguinis adherence to titanium surfaces.