The Impact of Early Saliva Interaction on Dental Implants and Biomaterials for Oral Regeneration: An Overview

Abstract

The presence of saliva in the oral environment is relevant for several essential health processes. However, the noncontrolled early saliva interaction with biomaterials manufactured for oral rehabilitation may generate alterations in the superficial properties causing negative biological outcomes. Therefore, the present review aimed to provide a compilation of all possible physical–chemical–biological changes caused by the early saliva interaction in dental implants and materials for oral regeneration. Dental implants, bone substitutes and membranes in dentistry possess different properties focused on improving the healing process when in contact with oral tissues. The early saliva interaction was shown to impair some positive features present in biomaterials related to quick cellular adhesion and proliferation, such as surface hydrophilicity, cellular viability and antibacterial properties. Moreover, biomaterials that interacted with contaminated saliva containing specific bacteria demonstrated favorable conditions for increased bacterial metabolism. Additionally, the quantity of investigations associating biomaterials with early saliva interaction is still scarce in the current literature and requires clarification to prevent clinical failures. Therefore, clinically, controlling saliva exposure to sites involving the application of biomaterials must be prioritized in order to reduce impairment in important biomaterial properties developed for rapid healing.

Superhydrophilic Nanotextured Surfaces for Dental Implants: Influence of Early Saliva Contamination and Wet Storage

“…Saliva is always present in the oral environment (gingiva, teeth, bone, blood) before any surgical procedure starts. The complexity of saliva interaction control during the placement of oral biomaterials such as dental implants or materials for bone regeneration is challenging, being more demanding in procedures involving more than one professional handling the case [ 26 ].…”

“…Several authors reported different methodologies to collect the saliva and apply it in their studies, even associated with techniques of freezing, filtration or direct application from the subject [ 14 , 31 , 47 , 48 ]. The application of saliva immediately removed from humans showed to be the most similar condition to the clinical environment [ 26 ]; however, it is extremely difficult to perform an entire study with human subjects providing immediate saliva excretion in laboratories without a proper process of storage. Therefore, this investigation was performed on different days, using one day for each surface analysis with a direct saliva collection.…”

“…For that reason, companies and current studies have proposed the wet storage of dental implant surfaces until their surgical application in order to prevent impairment of their hydrophilic features [ 10 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Additionally, saliva contamination at surgical sites confectioned for implant insertion constitutes a complex issue due to the difficulty to control your invasion to the site [ 26 ]. Clinical situations involving stent-guided surgeries [ 27 ], patients with hypersalivation [ 28 ], patients with special mental disabilities [ 29 ], surgeon inattention, among other factors, may generate the early saliva interaction prior to the interaction with bone tissues.…”

Channel Aperture Characteristics of Carbonate Apatite Honeycomb Scaffolds Affect Ingrowths of Bone and Fibrous Tissues in Vertical Bone Augmentation

“…However, autogenous bone grafts have several drawbacks, such as donor site morbidity, soft tissue and nerve injuries, post-surgery pain, limited harvest quantity, and increased surgical operating time [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Therefore, the development of alternative scaffolds to autologous bone is necessary [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ].…”

Surface Functionalisation of Dental Implants with a Composite Coating of Alendronate and Hydrolysed Collagen: DFT and EIS Studies

“…It must not be forgotten that a human body, especially the oral cavity, is an aggressive environment containing different ions, enzymes, bacteria, and frequent daily pH changes. Such an environment can cause the release of contaminants from the implant’s surface into surrounding tissues and organs, which can trigger negative biological processes such as allergies or inflammation [ 10 ]. All this clearly underlines the need for improving the production process and introducing regular strict quality controls of implants.…”