Influence of Dental Titanium Implants with Different Surface Treatments Using Femtosecond and Nanosecond Lasers on Biofilm Formation

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of different surface treatments (machined; sandblasted, large grit, and acid-etched (SLA); hydrophilic; and hydrophobic) on dental titanium (Ti) implant surface morphology, roughness, and biofilm formation. Four groups of Ti disks were prepared using distinct surface treatments, including femtosecond and nanosecond lasers for hydrophilic and hydrophobic treatments. Surface morphology, wettability, and roughness were assessed. Biofilm formation was evaluated by counting the colonies of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), and Prevotella intermedia (Pi) at 48 and 72 h. Statistical analysis was conducted to compare the groups using the Kruskal–Wallis H test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (α = 0.05). The analysis revealed that the hydrophobic group had the highest surface contact angle and roughness (p < 0.05), whereas the machined group had significantly higher bacterial counts across all biofilms (p < 0.05). At 48 h, the lowest bacterial counts were observed in the SLA group for Aa and the SLA and hydrophobic groups for Pg and Pi. At 72 h, low bacterial counts were observed in the SLA, hydrophilic, and hydrophobic groups. The results indicate that various surface treatments affect implant surface properties, with the hydrophobic surface using femtosecond laser treatment exerting a particularly inhibitory effect on initial biofilm growth (Pg and Pi).

In Vitro Biofilm Formation on Zirconia Implant Surfaces Treated with Femtosecond and Nanosecond Lasers

“…Another study investigated how different surface treatment methods, including femtosecond and nanosecond laser processing, affect the surface morphology, roughness, and biofilm formation of dental titanium implant discs, and found that in the early stages of biofilm growth, Aa levels were significantly higher in the hydrophilic treatment group than in the hydrophobic treatment group. Although lower in the treated group, after 72 h, the biofilm growth was similar in both groups [28].…”

“…Various studies have demonstrated that the use of femtosecond laser technology can form nano-textured grooves [16] and grids [17]. A previous study evaluated the formation of biofilms by treating the surface of titanium implants using femtosecond and nanosecond lasers and changing the surface modification to hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties [28].…”

Comparative study of cell interaction and bacterial adhesion on titanium of different composition, structure and surfaces with various laser treatment

“…Surface treatment can change the wettability of titanium materials, but it depends on the chosen surface topography. Therefore, different authors report both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces created by nanosecond and femtosecond lasers [57][58][59]. Bacteria can adhere to materials with low hydrophilicity through hydrophobic interactions.…”

The Effects of a Biomimetic Hybrid Meso- and Nano-Scale Surface Topography on Blood and Protein Recruitment in a Computational Fluid Dynamics Implant Model

“…Recent advances in laser technology have allowed the simultaneous generation of meso- and nano-topographies on metallic surfaces [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Particular studies utilizing solid-state laser etching created a unique meso-and-nano hybrid zirconia surface on which the meso-topography mimics “cactus-like” oscillating spikes, while the nano-topography consists of dense, nodular protrusions, 100–300 nm in diameter, resembling trabecular bone [ 45 , 46 ].…”