Reduced Biofilm Accumulation on Implants Treated With Implantoplasty-An In Situ Trial With a Within-Subject Comparison

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate potential differences in biofilm accumulation on three different implant surfaces: turned surface (TS), modified surface (MS), and modified surface treated with implantoplasty (IPS), using a within-subject comparison.

Material and methods: Ten volunteers wore individualized splints containing three titanium implants with different surfaces (TS, MS, and IPS) on each buccal side of the splint. The implant position (anterior, central, and posterior) was randomly assigned among the three implants on each side. Volunteers were instructed to wear the splint for 72 h and to remove it only for eating, drinking, and performing standard oral hygiene; the splint itself was not cleaned. After 72 h, the implants were carefully removed from the splint, and the accumulated biofilm was assessed using a crystal violet assay by measuring intensity/absorbance at 570 nm.

Results: All volunteers reported no deviations from the instructions. The lowest mean amount of biofilm (0.405 ± 0.07) was detected on implants of the IPS group, followed by implants of the MS (0.463 ± 0.06) and TS group (0.467 ± 0.07). A multilevel mixed-effects linear regression analysis confirmed that implants of the IPS group accumulated a significantly lower amount of biofilm than the other surfaces (p < 0.001); however, no significant difference was detected between implants of the TS and MS groups (p = 0.806).

Conclusions: Implantoplasty can generate a surface significantly less conducive to biofilm accumulation in the short term compared to pristine implants with turned or modified surfaces.

Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT06049121.

Keywords: biofilm; crystal violet assay; implant surface; implantoplasty; peri‐implantitis.

Figure 1

Individualized splint carrying six implants in total (i.e., one from each implant group on each side of the splint).

Figure 2

Individualized splint after 72 h of intra‐oral use. Ample accumulation of plaque/biofilm on the implants is clearly visible.

Figure 3

Bar graph of mean (shown in white on each bar) and standard deviation (whiskers) for biofilm accumulation, quantified using a crystal violet assay with absorbance measured at 570 nm. Data are presented separately for the three implant groups, showing either all implants of each group (“all positions”) or each implant position within the splint (“anterior,” “central,” and “posterior”). *Significantly lower compared to “all positions” of the turned and modified surface implants.