Comparison of Non-Surgical Methods for Implant Surface Treatment in Simulated Bone Resorption Patterns: An In Vitro...

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Biomaterials Science
• Periodontology

Background:

• Peri-implantitis is a major cause of dental implant failure, affecting 22-45% of implants.
• Effective bacterial biofilm removal is crucial for non-surgical peri-implantitis therapy.
• Understanding optimal cleaning methods for diverse bone defect geometries is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of different dental implant surface cleaning instruments.
• To assess the influence of operator experience on cleaning efficacy.
• To compare cleaning performance across various bone defect configurations.

Main Methods:

• Simulated biofilm-coated implants were placed in resin blocks with varied bone defect geometries.
• Three operators of differing experience levels used titanium curettes, ultrasonic scalers, titanium brushes, and air abrasion with erythritol.
• Cleaning efficacy was quantified via post-treatment implant surface imaging and analysis.

Main Results:

• Titanium brushes (37.2%) and ultrasonic scalers (35.0%) exhibited the highest cleaning efficacy.
• These instruments showed minimal dependence on operator skill level.
• Sixty-degree bone defects were the easiest to clean; complete decontamination was not achieved by any method.

Conclusions:

• Ultrasonic scalers and titanium brushes offer the most effective and consistent implant surface decontamination.
• Cleaning efficacy is influenced by bone defect geometry, with 60° defects being most accessible.
• Tailoring decontamination strategies to defect type and potentially combining methods may improve peri-implantitis treatment outcomes.