Improvement in the Biological Properties of Titanium Surfaces with Low-Temperature Plasma

Peri-implantitis has become a common complication, accompanied by soft tissue inflammation. <i>Porphyromonas gingivalis</i> infection is the major cause of inflammation and progressive bone loss in the jaws. The surface property of titanium implants is a key factor in the alteration of osseointegration and <i>P. gingivalis</i> adhesion. However, the interplay between <i>P. gingivalis</i> and the surface properties of implants, subjected to different treatments, is not well described. Therefore, we focused on the surface properties of titanium implants; titanium disks that were autoclaved alone were used as controls. Those that were autoclaved and then subjected to low-temperature plasma (LTP) at 85 W and 13.56 MHz and with 100 mTorr of argon gas at room temperature for 15 min formed the experimental group. LTP-treated disks had smoother surfaces than the control group disks. The physical properties, such as scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), demonstrated the surface composition was changed after LTP treatment. Further, osteoblastic cell proliferation enhancement was observed in the LTP-treated titanium surfaces. The results also revealed relatively less <i>P. gingivalis</i> adhesion to the LTP-treated disks than on the control disks on spectrophotometry and SEM. These findings clarified that <i>P. gingivalis</i> adhesion is reduced in implants subjected to LTP treatment. Thus, LTP treatment of peri-implantitis with the settings used in the present study is an option that needs further investigation.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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