Effect of Air-Polishing on Titanium Surfaces, Biofilm Removal, and Biocompatibility: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Purpose. The aims of this in vitro study were to evaluate morphological changes induced by glycine powder air-polishing on titanium surfaces, biofilm removal, and biocompatibility. Material and Methods. Titanium grade IV discs were allocated into two groups: (1) discs without biofilm and (2) discs for Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation. Discs in each group were further subdivided into (a) no treatment and (b) air-polishing treatment with glycine powder. Discs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and confocal microscopy. Bacterial biofilms were quantified using a crystal violet dye-binding assay. Biocompatibility was evaluated by measuring the coverage and viability of L929 fibroblast cells cultured on the discs. Results. Air-polishing increased the roughness of treated discs (P < 0.05). EDS analysis did not show significant differences in the chemical composition of treated and nontreated discs. The amount of residual biofilm on treated discs was 8.6-fold lower than untreated controls (P < 0.05). Coverage of treated discs by fibroblasts was half that of untreated discs (P < 0.05) although both groups had the same cell viability. Conclusions. Air-polishing removed a significant amount of biofilm from titanium surfaces. The “polishing” was accompanied by increased surface roughness, but there were no changes in chemical and elemental compositions, nor the biocompatibility.

Effects of air abrasive decontamination on titanium surfaces: A systematic review of in vitro studies

“…After reading the full‐text articles, 10 articles were excluded: three articles due to using the AA in combination with other decontamination methods, one study was not about titanium surface, two articles did not use AA for decontamination, one study was not in English and not published in a peer‐review journal, one study used the AA powder in an antimicrobial solution but did not use the AA device, one study had an in vivo design with decontamination procedures taking place in the beagle dogs, and the full text for one study was not retrieved . The 48 included articles were ultimately processed for data extraction . The summary of the search strategy is depicted in Figure .…”

“…The characteristics of the 48 selected studies have been reported in chronological order in Table . It is noteworthy to mention that out of 48 included studies, only 11 studies employed devices to standardize the decontamination procedure and avoid the clinician erroneous, and only one study used a phantom head to simulate clinical conditions …”

“…Regarding the SEM results, except for three studies that reported no surface change, other studies showed some level of morphological changes which were different in nature and intensity based on the surface modification and powder type. Regarding the surface topology, 2 studies showed that the Ra value for SB was higher than glycine and untreated controls while another study found no difference . Six articles reported on surface composition using energy dispersive‐x spectrometry (EDS) from which except for one study, others found powder remnants and changes in surface composition related to the application of AA.…”

Novel methods for debridement of dental implant surfaces contaminated by biofilm

“…This assay has been used in many past studies. 63,185,186 The study followed on from the work presented in Chapter 3 which examined the effects of instruments on Ti surfaces only (no biofilm), and likewise will use SEM to assess surface damage produced during biofilm removal.…”

“…221,222 From the work in this thesis and other published studies, it appears that Er:YAG lasers, glycine particles, citric acid and electrolysis are promising areas to explore further, since these treatments are likely to either enhance biocompatibility, or at the very least, will not lower the surface energy. 93,165,186,223 From the work described in this thesis (as summarized Table 7.3), a suggested combination approach would be as follows when a purely closed debridement approach was to be used:…”