Nanocoating Designed to Prevent Peri-Implantitis

Researchers have developed a nanocoating for titanium alloy dental implants that’s designed to decrease the incidence of peri-implantitis — a chief cause of implant failure. According to the study, “Antibacterial Activity and Biofilm Inhibition by Surface Modified Titanium Alloy Medical Implants Following Application of Silver, Titanium Dioxide and Hydroxyapatite Nanocoatings,” published in Nanotoxicology, the new coating reduced bacterial growth and decreased biofilm formation on the implant surface by 97.5%. Investigators from the School of Biological and Marine Sciences, Peninsula School of Medicine and Dentistry, and the School of Engineering at the University of Plymouth in England also report the new coating supports accelerated bone healing.

“Current strategies to render the surface of dental implants antibacterial — with the aim to prevent infection and peri-implantitis — include application of antimicrobial coatings loaded with antibiotics or chlorhexidine. However, such approaches are usually effective only in the short-term, and the use of chlorhexidine has also been reported to be toxic to human cells,” notes Alexandros Besinis, PhD, MSc, BSc (Hons), who led the study. The authors explain that application of a dual-layered silver–hydroxyapatite nanocoating to titanium alloy implants creates a surface with antibiofilm properties that does not compromise the hydroxyapatite biocompatibility required for successful osseointegration.

From Decisions in Dentistry. July 2017;3(7):9.