Antimicrobial Sol-Gel Glassy Surfaces for Modification of Dental Implant Abutments to Reduce Microbial Adhesion

Microbial colonization is a major factor contributing to peri-implantitis, and creating durable glassy surfaces with antimicrobial agents such as silver and copper may reduce microbial accumulation on dental abutments. This study aimed to develop antimicrobial thin-film glassy surfaces on Ti6Al4V alloy and to evaluate their surface and mechanical properties, antimicrobial effectiveness, and biocompatibility before and after thermal aging. A sol-gel-derived glassy matrix (G) was synthesized, and two antimicrobial coatings were prepared by incorporating ionic Ag (GAg) or a combination of Ag/Cu (GAgCu). Ti6Al4V specimens; these were either left uncoated or dip-coated with G, GAg, or GAgCu and cured at 450 °C. Half of the specimens underwent thermal aging between 5 °C and 55 °C for 3000 cycles. Surface roughness, contact angle, hardness, adhesion strength, scratch resistance, cytotoxicity (Agar diffusion and MTT assay on L929 fibroblasts), and microbial adhesion were evaluated using Streptococcus sanguinis, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Candida albicans as representative oral microorganisms. Both coatings exhibited low surface roughness, hydrophilic surfaces, improved hardness, and significantly reduced microbial adhesion for all tested species. GAg showed superior mechanical properties, whereas GAgCu demonstrated a relatively stronger antimicrobial effect. Cytotoxicity tests indicated that all coatings were biocompatible at levels suitable for oral use. Overall, these coatings demonstrated strong adhesion, durability, and antimicrobial activity, suggesting their suitability for dental abutments made of Ti6Al4V.