Influence of Microgeometry of Dental Implants on Inflammatory Mediators

After implant installation, there is an immediate inflammatory reaction. Therefore, exploring the inflammatory mediators around different surface treated dental implants is essential for long term survival of implants. The goal of this study was to compare the levels of Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and Interleukin-10 (IL-10) in patients with sandblasted acid-etched (SLA, SLActive) and anodized (TiUnite) dental implants.

In this prospective clinical study, 78 patients who had undergone implant placement for missing single posterior tooth in mandible using sandblasted acid-etched and anodized surface dental implants from September 2020 to January 2021 were enrolled according to strict inclusion and exclusion criteria and were categorized into Group 1: SLA (n = 27), Group 2: SLActive (n = 26), Group 3: TiUnite (n = 25) based on the surface modification of the implants. Utilizing an ELISA kit, the levels of TNF-α and IL-10 were measured in the peri-implant crevicular fluid (PICF) at 3 months and 1-year intervals and then subjected to statistical analysis.

Compared to groups 1 and 2, TNF-α was high and IL-10 level was less in implants from group 3 (p < 0.05). At baseline (p < 0.05) and the 1-year follow-up (p < 0.05), there was a statistically significant difference in TNF-α and IL-10 levels between the groups on pairwise comparison. Also, an intragroup comparison revealed that in all three groups, there was a statistically significant difference from the baseline (p < 0.05).

Higher TNF-α and lower IL-10 levels in the peri-implant crevicular fluid was observed among patients with anodized dental implants as compared to sandblasted acid-etched dental implants.