Antimicrobial behavior of nanocoated orthodontic micro-implants: An in vitro study

The need to overcome the failure of orthodontic micro-implants which might reach to 30% has led to the development of different methods, one of which is nanoparticle deposition.

To evaluate the anti-microbial efficiency of TiO₂ and ZnO nanoparticles (NP) when used as a coating for orthodontic micro-implants.

Thirty titanium alloy micro-implants were used in the presented study. They were divided into three groups according to the coating method and the coating materials used: the control group without surface coating; the titanium dioxide (TiO₂)-coated group, in which direct current (DC) spattering was used to coat the micro-implants with a TiO₂ layer; and the TiO₂ and zinc oxide (TiO₂ZnO)-coated group, in which the micro-implants were coated with a TiO₂ layer via direct current (DC) spattering and a zinc oxide (ZnO) layer via laser vacuum. The micro-implant surfaces were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The antibacterial susceptibility was assessed using gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

SEM and EDS tests confirmed the coating of the micro-implants in the TiO₂- and TiO2ZnO-coated groups. The micro-implants in the TiO₂- and TiO₂ZnO-coated groups demonstrated higher antibacterial ability than the control group.

This study demonstrated the significance of improving the surface of orthodontic micro-implants by coating them with TiO₂ and ZnO nanoparticles to improve osseointegration and prevent biofilm formation.