Physicochemical and Antibacterial Characterization of a Novel Fluorapatite Coating

Abstract

Peri-implantitis remains the major impediment to the long-term use of dental implants. With increasing concern over the growth in antibiotic resistance, there is considerable interest in the preparation of antimicrobial dental implant coatings that also induce osseointegration. One such potential coating material is fluorapatite (FA). The aim of this study was to relate the antibacterial effectiveness of FA coatings against pathogens implicated in peri-implantitis to the physicochemical properties of the coating. Ordered and disordered FA coatings were produced on the under and upper surfaces of stainless steel (SS) discs, respectively, using a hydrothermal method. Surface charge, surface roughness, wettability, and fluoride release were measured for each coating. Surface chemistry was assessed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and FA crystallinity using X-ray diffraction. Antibacterial activity against periodontopathogens was assessed in vitro using viable counts, confocal microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM showed that the hydrothermal method produced FA coatings that were predominately aligned perpendicular to the SS substrate or disordered FA coatings consisting of randomly aligned rodlike crystals. Both FA coatings significantly reduced the growth of all examined bacterial strains in comparison to the control. The FA coatings, especially the disordered ones, presented significantly lower charge, greater roughness, and higher area when compared to the control, enhancing bacteria–material interactions and therefore bacterial deactivation by fluoride ions. The ordered FA layer reduced not only bacterial viability but adhesion too. The ordered FA crystals produced as a potential novel implant coating showed significant antibacterial activity against bacteria implicated in peri-implantitis, which could be explained by a detailed understanding of their physicochemical properties.

Antibacterial properties and regenerative potential of Sr2+ and Ce3+ doped fluorapatites; a potential solution for peri-implantitis

“…In a recent work of Alhilou et al . 28 , fluorapatite was investigated as a potential coating material for dental scaffolds/implants and it was demonstrated that it significantly reduces the viability of the adherent bacteria for all the bacterial strains tested (i.e. P .…”

Influence of the atmosphere conditions in the structure, properties and solubility of fluorine-substituted hydroxyapatites

“…Thus, implants made from titanium, stainless steel or cobalt-chrome alloys are frequently modified at the surface by bioceramics coatings that can be applied using different technologies, even though plasma spraying is the most popular and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved method [44]. In recent years, strategies based on the substitution of HAp by xF-HAp or FAp coatings has been proposed as effective strategies to decrease biofilm accumulation, to inhibit the demineralization process and to combat caries-related bacteria [45][46][47][48][49]. However, our results clearly indicate that such fluoride-therapy is more effective by supplying Fanions to the HAp coating from an external source (e.g.…”

Sterilization Protocol for Porous dental implants made by Selective Laser Melting

“…If the drugs are inside the pores of the implant, the release rate will be lower, more controllable and the effect will last much longer [10–12]. In the case of dental implants, such substances can lower the risks of peri-implantitis which is one of the leading causes for implant loss [13–15].…”