Microbial adhesion of streptococcus mutans on additively manufactured and milled zirconia
Luo Ann1, Alissa Vilhauer1, Amirali Zandinejad2
1Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA.
Objectives:
This study aims to compare the microbial adhesion of Streptococcus mutans on additively manufactured zirconia (AMZ) and milled zirconia (MZ) discs. Additionally, it evaluates the impact of designed porosities on bacterial adhesion to optimize surface treatments.
Methods:
Sixty zirconia discs (Ø12 × 5 × 5 mm) were fabricated using CAD software (SolidWorks) program and categorized into three groups, each with 15 discs: Additively manufactured zirconia with designed pores measuring 50 × 50 microns (AM:50), spaced 200 µm apart, Additively manufactured zirconia with no surface treatment (AMZ-0), and Milled 3Y zirconia (MZ). Additive manufacturing was performed using stereolithography (SLA) with a CeraMaker 900 printer, while milling utilized a 5-axis Ceramill Motion 2 machine. Surface roughness (Ra) was measured using a profilometer. For microbial adhesion assessment, nine discs from each group were exposed to S. mutans for 24 hours, followed by rinsing and quantification of adherent bacteria via colony-forming unit (CFU) counts. Statistical analysis was conducted using ANOVA with a significance level of α = 0.05.
Results:
MZ exhibited the lowest S. mutans adhesion, with significantly fewer CFUs compared to the AMZ-0 group (p < 0.001). Although the AM:50 group did not show a statistically significant difference in bacterial adhesion compared to MZ, it exhibited reduced adhesion compared to the AMZ-0 group.
Conclusions:
MZ discs demonstrated lower S. mutans adhesion compared to additively manufactured zirconia with no porosity (AMZ-0). The presence of designed porosity in AM:50 did not show a statistically significant difference in microbial adhesion compared to MZ and exhibited lower bacterial adhesion than the untreated AMZ-0 group.
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