Abstract
This study aimed to assess the effect of chemical composition, wettability and roughness on the clinical reduction of plaque colonization after 24 hr. Grade 1 commercially pure titanium (c. p. Ti) was oxygen ion-implanted and anodized. The specimens were measured for surface roughness and wettability. Chemical composition was investigated by electron spectroscopy chemical analysis (ESCA). Volunteers had the specimens implanted into their mouths. After 24 hr, they were removed and observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A global area of 100 × 125 mm consisting of randomly selected fields was examined for each specimen. The density of bacteria and morphotypes were recorded for each field. The data reported for the global area are the sum of those observed in the selected fields.
The number of bacteria adhering to the treated surfaces significantly differed between specimens and related directly to wettability and roughness. The type of bacteria adhering to the surfaces ranged from the presence of cocci alone to a more complex bacterial plaque including forms considered as potential pathogens, such as short and long rods. However, some increments in wettability were so small that their efficacy on clinical plaque colonization appeared to be questionable. On the contrary, surface composition and, in particular, the presence of chloride and fluoride ions proved to have some effects. This was further supported as no increments in colonization were observed for the anodized samples as compared to the highly polished Ti specimens, in spite of the notable increase in wettability and roughness parameters.