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Updated: Jul 20, 2025
Oral Biofilm Formation on Different Materials for Dental Implants
Published on: June 24, 2018
Trans-mucosal platforms for dental implants: Strategies to induce muco-integration and shield peri-implant diseases
Marcel F Kunrath1, Maurício do N Gerhardt2
1Department of Biomaterials, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, P.O. Box 412, SE 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden; School of Health and Life Sciences, Post-Graduate Program in Dentistry, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; School of Technology, Post-Graduate Program in Materials Technology and Engineering, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Objectives:
Trans-mucosal platforms connecting the bone-anchored implants to the prosthetic teeth are essential for the success of oral rehabilitation in implant dentistry. This region promotes a challenging environment for the successfulness of dental components due to the transitional characteristics between soft and hard tissues, the presence of bacteria, and mechanical forces. This review explored the most current approaches to modify trans-mucosal components in terms of macro-design and surface properties.
Methods:
This critical review article revised intensely the literature until July 2023 to demonstrate, discuss, and summarize the current knowledge about marketable and innovative trans-mucosal components for dental implants.
Results:
A large number of dental implant brands have promoted the development of several implant-abutment designs in the clinical market. The progress of abutment designs shows an optimistic reduction of bacteria colonization underlying the implant-abutment gap, although, not completely inhibited. Fundamental and preclinical studies have demonstrated promising outcomes for altered-surface properties targeting antibacterial properties and soft tissue sealing. Nanotopographies, biomimetic coatings, and antibiotic-release properties have been shown to be able to modulate, align, orient soft tissue cells, and induce a reduction in biofilm formation, suggesting superior abilities compared to the current trans-mucosal platforms available on the market.
Significance:
Future clinical implant-abutments show the possibility to reduce peri-implant diseases and fortify soft tissue interaction with the implant-substrate, defending the implant system from bacteria invasion. However, the absence of technologies translated to commercial stages reveals the need for findings to "bridge the gap" between scientific evidences published and applied science in the industry.
