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Updated: Mar 31, 2026
Oral Biofilm Formation on Different Materials for Dental Implants
Published on: June 24, 2018
Osseointegrated implants placed at supracrestal level may harbour higher counts of A. gerencseriae and S.
Mariana Ribeiro de Moraes Rego1, Marcelo Ferreira Torres1, Luiz Carlos Santiago2
1Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Odontology, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Purpose:
This study aimed at evaluating the bacterial colonization in dental implants inserted in the crestal or supracrestal position and correlated it to radiographic bone measurements.
Methods:
Thirty-five implants with regular platform in nine patients (mean age 62.4±11.2 years) were inserted either at the bone crest level (control group) or at a suprecrestal level (test group). Radiographic examination was performed at baseline (implant installation) and after 6 months. Clinical and microbiological data were collected after 6 months. Digital radiography was used to assess bone remodeling (marginal bone loss and optical alveolar density). Bacterial profile was analyzed by checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization, including a panel of 40 bacterial species.
Results:
After 6 months, there were significantly higher counts of Actinomyces gerencseriae (p=0.009) and Streptococcus constellatus (p=0.05) in the test group. No significant differences between test and control groups were observed for marginal bone loss (p=0.725) and optical alveolar density (p=0.975). Probing depth was similar in both groups.
Conclusion:
Significantly higher counts of A. gerencseriae and S. constellatus were found in implants placed at the supracrestal level compared to the ones placed at the bone level. No relation was found between the installation level of dental implants and peri-implant bone remodeling.
