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Bacterial Microleakage at the Implant-Abutment Interface: An In Vitro Study
Simonetta D'Ercole1, Tatiane Cristina Dotta2, Marzieh Ramezani Farani3
1Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy.
Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 25, 2022
Summary
The Cone Morse (CM) dental implant connection demonstrated significantly lower bacterial microleakage compared to the Internal Hexagon (IH) connection over 14 days. Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed a greater capacity for contamination across all implant types.
Area of Science:
- Dental Implantology
- Microbiology
- Biomaterials Science
Background:
- Microleakage at the implant-abutment interface is a critical factor in peri-implant infections.
- Understanding bacterial penetration through different implant connection designs is crucial for long-term implant success.
- External Hexagon (EH), Internal Hexagon (IH), and Cone Morse (CM) are common dental implant connection types with varying sealing capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively assess and compare the in vitro bacterial microleakage of three distinct dental implant connections: EH, IH, and CM.
- To evaluate the influence of two specific bacterial species, Streptococcus oralis (SO) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), on microleakage.
- To determine the efficacy of different connection designs in preventing bacterial ingress over a 14-day period.
Main Methods:
- Sixty dental implants (n=20 per group) with EH, IH, and CM connections were tested.
- Implants were inoculated with either Streptococcus oralis or Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the internal platform.
- Bacterial microleakage was assessed by observing broth turbidity, and abutment fit was verified using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).
Main Results:
- Cone Morse (CM) connections exhibited significantly lower bacterial contamination (20%) compared to Internal Hexagon (IH) connections (55%). External Hexagon (EH) showed 45% contamination.
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa demonstrated a higher potential for bacterial contamination across all implant connection types compared to Streptococcus oralis.
- SEM analysis confirmed the correct fitting of abutments, indicating that observed microleakage was primarily due to connection seal integrity.
Conclusions:
- The Cone Morse (CM) implant connection offers superior resistance to bacterial microleakage compared to the Internal Hexagon (IH) design.
- Dental implant connection design plays a significant role in preventing bacterial contamination and potential peri-implantitis.
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa poses a greater challenge in terms of sealing efficacy for dental implant connections than Streptococcus oralis.
