The Effects of Laser Microtexturing of Biomedical Grade 5 Ti-6Al-4V Dental Implants (Abutment) on Biofilm Formation

Every surface exposed in the oral cavity is covered by a layer of salivary proteins (pellicle). The initial formation of the pellicle, which is a cellular, proteinaceous film on the surface, is followed by the adsorption of bacterial cells. Well-developed biofilms on dental implant surfaces become the main source of pathogenic microbes causing Peri-Implantitis, a condition that has been described as one of the main causes of dental implant failure. The surface wettability affects the formation of pellicle and biofilms. This paper presents laser surface microtexturing as a surface treatment of Ti-6Al-4V against the settlement of the bacteria Streptococcus mutans.