Comparative Assessment of Success Rate Between Silver Nanoparticle Coated and Uncoated Infra-zygomatic Bone Screws: A Split-Mouth Study

Abstract

Introduction In orthodontic treatment, infra-zygomatic crest screws have been effectively used in the correction of borderline skeletal malocclusion. The success of bone screws depends on factors such as biomechanical factors, placement technique, and microbial factors. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the success rate as well as assess the microbiota of silver nanoparticle coated and uncoated infra zygomatic crest (IZC) screws on clinical application. Method A sample of 36 stainless steel IZC screws was divided into 2 groups. Group I- Silver nanoparticle (AgNP) coated (n = 18) and group II uncoated (n = 18). A total of 18 patients (4 male, 14 female; mean age 22.58±3.52) received IZC screws (coated or uncoated) via a double-blind, split-mouth design. The success rate was evaluated based on the stability of IZC screws. And also molecular analysis was carried out using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism complemented with cloning and identification of species. Results The success rate was higher in group I (77.80%) than in group II (50.00%). The mean rank for terminal restriction fragments in AgNP coated group (14.92%) was significantly lower than the uncoated group (22.08%) (P<0.05). The cloning results revealed a major difference in the predominant species composition between AgNP-coated (Prevotella oris sp.) and uncoated IZC screw (Capnocytophaga leadbetteri). Conclusion The success rate for AgNP-coated IZC screws was higher compared to uncoated screws, while predominant bacteria present in coated and uncoated samples were found to be of different biological significance which needs to be explored subsequently.