Early bacterial colonization and soft tissue health around zirconia and titanium abutments: an in vivo study in man.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the early bacterial colonization and soft tissue health of mucosa adjacent to zirconia (ZrO(2)) and titanium (Ti) abutment surfaces in vivo.


METHODS
Twenty edentulous subjects received two endosseous mandibular implants. The implants were fitted with either a ZrO(2) or a Ti abutment (non-submerged implant placement, within-subject comparison, left-right randomization). Sulcular bacterial sampling and the assessment of probing pocket depth, recession and bleeding on probing were performed at 2 weeks and 3 months post-surgery. Wilcoxon matched-pairs, sign-rank tests were applied to test differences in the counts of seven marker bacteria and the clinical parameters that were associated with the ZrO(2) and Ti abutments, at the two observation time points.


RESULTS
ZrO(2) and Ti abutments harboured similar counts of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythia, Peptostreptococcus micros, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Treponema denticola at 2 weeks and 3 months. Healthy clinical conditions were seen around both ZrO(2) and Ti abutments at all times, without significant differences in most clinical parameters of peri-implant soft tissue health. Mean probing depths around Ti abutments were slightly deeper than around ZrO(2) abutments after 3 months (2.2 SD 0.8 mm vs. 1.7 SD 0.7 mm, P=0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
No difference in health of the soft tissues adjacent to ZrO(2) and Ti abutment surfaces or in early bacterial colonization could be demonstrated, although somewhat shallower probing depths were observed around ZrO(2) abutments after 3 month.
Department of Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery, Prosthodontics and Special, Dental Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. rbrakel@umcutrecht.nl
Ralph
R
van Brakel
Marco S
MS
Cune
Arie Jan
AJ
van Winkelhoff
Cornelis
C
de Putter
Jan Willem
JW
Verhoeven
Wil
W
van der Reijden
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000254:growth & development; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development*; D058491:Bacterial Load; D001439:Bacteroides / Q000254:growth & development; D000044:Dental Abutments / Q000382:microbiology*; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000382:microbiology*; D003764:Dental Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016967:Fusobacterium nucleatum / Q000254:growth & development; D005884:Gingival Hemorrhage / Q000145:classification; D005889:Gingival Recession / Q000145:classification; D006801:Humans; D057893:Immediate Dental Implant Loading; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D010462:Peptostreptococcus / Q000254:growth & development; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000145:classification; D010519:Periodontium / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000254:growth & development; D018713:Prevotella intermedia / Q000254:growth & development; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*; D048373:Treponema denticola / Q000254:growth & development; D015040:Zirconium / Q000737:chemistry*
D015921:Dental Implants; D003764:Dental Materials; D015040:Zirconium; D014025:Titanium; C028541:zirconium oxide