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Erschienen in:
01.11.2013 | Original article
Three-dimensional analysis of initial biofilm formation on polytetrafluoroethylene in the oral cavity
Erschienen in: Journal of Orofacial Orthopedics / Fortschritte der Kieferorthopädie | Ausgabe 6/2013
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Aim
There is published evidence that polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) exhibits beneficial surface characteristics by means of long-term biofilm accumulation. The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare early biofilm formation on polytetrafluoroethylene, ceramic-reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene and as the control group, stainless steel.
Materials and methods
This study comprised 10 healthy volunteers (5 females and 5 males) with a mean age of 27.3±3.7 years. Three different slabs (two PTFE coatings: one pure and one ceramic-reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene, and stainless steel) were placed in random order on a splint in the mandibular molar region. Intraoral splints were inserted for 48 h. After 48 h, we removed the slabs from the splints and stained the biofilm with a two-color fluorescence assay for bacterial viability (LIVE/DEAD BacLight—Bacterial Viability Kit 7012, Invitrogen, Mount Waverley, Australia). The amount of biofilm accumulation was assessed using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM).
Results
The biofilm surface coverage was 55.8±39.8% on pure PTFE-coated probes, 55.9±35.0% on ceramic-reinforced PTFE-coated probes, and 33.3±37.8% on stainless steel. The differences among the three groups were not significant (p=0.301). Biofilm depth was 5.6±5.4 μm on pure PTFE-coated probes, 5.2±3.8 μm on ceramic-reinforced PTFE-coated probes, and 2.4±2.9 μm on stainless steel. The Friedman test revealed a significant difference in biofilm depth (p=0.002). Pairwise comparison of biofilm accumulation yielded a significant difference between pure PTFE and ceramic-reinforced PTFE compared to stainless steel (p=0.017; p=0.005).
Conclusion
Our results indicate that the beneficial surface characteristics of PTFE coatings by reducing long-term biofilm are not a result of inhibiting initial bacterial adhesion.