Frequency of red complex microorganisms in dental implants with sandblasted acid etched and anodized surface by polymerase chain reaction

Background Although surface topography and chemical composition of the dental implants greatly influences osseointegration, they also have an indirect impact on microbial adhesion. One important factor in the pathophysiology of periimplantitis is thought to be bacterial adherence to the implant surface. This study aimed to compare the frequency of P. gingivalis, T. denticola and T. forsythia among SLA, SLActive and TiUnite implant surfaces using polymerase chain reaction.

Materials and methods Subjects with single healthy dental implant with cement retained prosthesis under function for at least one year were screened from Department of Implantology of Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai. The eligible subjects were categorized based on the surface treatment into Group 1: SLA (n=25), Group 2: SLActive (n=25), Group 3: TiUnite (n=25). The presence of P. gingivalis, T. denticola and T. forsythia were evaluated in each of the three groups. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher’s exact test to determine the association between implant systems and bacterial frequency of red complex organisms.

Results The observed bacterial frequency pattern was TiUnite > SLA > SLActive. There was a significant association between implant systems and P. gingivalis (p = 0.005); with higher frequency of P. gingivalis was observed in TiUnite.

Conclusion Increased frequency of detection of red complex organisms around TiUnite dental implant as compared to SLA and SLActive implants. SLActive surface demonstrated lesser detection of red complex microorganisms, especially P.gingivalis as compared to SLA and TiUnite surfaces.