| Abstract: | ![]()
Objective:To investigate the microbial adherence and colonization of a polyspecies biofilmon 7 differently processed titanium surfaces.Material and Methods:Six-species biofilms were formed anaerobically on 5-mm-diameter sterilized,saliva-preconditioned titanium discs. Material surfaces used were either machined,stained, acid-etched or sandblasted/acid-etched (SLA). Samples of the latter twomaterials were also provided in a chemically modified form, with increasedwettability characteristics. Surface roughness and contact angles of all materialswere determined. The discs were then incubated anaerobically for up to 16.5 h.Initial microbial adherence was evaluated after 20 min incubation and furthercolonization after 2, 4, 8, and 16.5 h using non-selective and selective culturetechniques. Results at different time points were compared using ANOVA and Scheffépost hoc analysis.Results:The mean differences in microorganisms colonizing after the first 20 min were in avery narrow range (4.5 to 4.8 log CFU). At up to 16.5 h, the modified SLA surfaceexhibited the highest values for colonization (6.9±0.2 log CFU, p<0.05) butincreasing growth was observed on all test surfaces over time. Discrepancies amongbacterial strains on the differently crafted titanium surfaces were very similarto those described for total log CFU. F. nucleatum was below thedetection limit on all surfaces after 4 h.Conclusion:Within the limitations of this in vitro study, surface roughnesshad a moderate influence on biofilm formation, while wettability did not seem toinfluence biofilm formation under the experimental conditions described. Themodified SLA surface showed the highest trend for bacterial colonization. |
