Bacterial colonization immediately after installation on oral titanium implants.
BACKGROUND
Information on bacterial colonization immediately after dental implant insertion is limited.


OBJECTIVE
(1) To assess the early colonization on titanium implants immediately after placement and throughout the first 12 post-surgical weeks, (2) to compare the microbiota at interproximal subgingival implant and adjacent tooth sites.


METHODS
Subgingival plaque samples from implant and neighbouring teeth were studied by checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization before surgery, 30 min after implant placement, and 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after surgery.


RESULTS
Comparing bacterial loads at implant sites between 30 min after placement with 1-week data showed that only the levels of Veillonella parvula (P<0.05) differed with higher loads at week 1 post-surgically. Week 12 data demonstrated significantly higher bacterial loads for 15/40 species at tooth sites compared with pre-surgery (P-values varying between 0.05 and 0.01). Between the period immediately after surgery and 12 weeks at implant sites, 29/40 species was more commonly found at 12 weeks. Included among these bacteria at implant sites were Porphyromonas gingivalis (P<0.05), Tannerella forsythia, (P<0.01), and Treponema denticola (P<0.001). Immediately post-surgery 5.9% of implants, and 26.2% of teeth, and at week 12, 15% of implants, and 39.1% of teeth harbored Staphylococcus aureus. Comparing tooth and implant sites, significantly higher bacterial loads were found at tooth sites for 27/40 species after 30 min following implant placement. This difference increased to 35/40 species at 12 weeks post-surgically.


CONCLUSIONS
Bacterial colonization occurred within 30 min after implant placement. Early colonization patterns differed between implant and tooth surfaces.
Fürst
Mirjam M
MM
Department of Periodontology and Fixed Prosthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland.
Salvi
Giovanni E
GE
Lang
Niklaus P
NP
Persson
G Rutger
GR
D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001439:Bacteroides / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000382:microbiology*; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012372:ROC Curve; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013997:Time Factors; D014025:Titanium; D014070:Tooth / Q000382:microbiology; D048373:Treponema denticola / Q000302:isolation & purification
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D015921:Dental Implants; D014025:Titanium