International. A research team composed of scientists from the School of Biological and Marine Sciences, Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and the School of Engineering at the University of Plymouth (England), have teamed up to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a new nanocoating for dental implants to reduce the risk of peri-implantitis.
In the study, the research team created a new approach using a combination of silver, titanium oxide and hydroxyapatite nanocoatings. Application of the titanium alloy implant surface combination successfully inhibited bacterial growth and reduced bacterial biofilm formation on the implant surface by 97.5 percent.
Not only did the combination result in the effective eradication of the infection, but it created a surface with anti-biofilm properties that supported successful integration into the surrounding bone and acceleration of bone healing.
Professor Christopher Tredwin, Director of the Plymouth University Peninsula School of Dentistry, commented: "In this cross-sectional study from the Faculty we have identified the means to protect dental implants against the most common cause of their failure. The potential of our work to increase patient comfort and satisfaction, and reduce costs, is great and we look forward to translating our results into clinical practice."
"Current strategies for making the surface of dental implants antibacterial in order to prevent infection and the development of peri-implantitis, include the application of antimicrobial coatings loaded with antibiotics or chlorohexidine. However, these approaches are usually effective only in the short term, and the use of chlorhexidine has also been reported to be toxic to human cells. The significance of our new study is that we have successfully applied a silver-hydroxyapatite double-layer nanoparticle to titanium alloy medical implants, which helps overcome these risks," said Dr Alexandros Besinis, Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the School of Engineering at the University of Plymouth, who led the research team.
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