Introduction: Titanium implants are used vastly in dentistry owing to their durability, biocompatibility and mechanical strength making them convenient for high mechanical load implementations. However, titanium surfaces are not bioactive and do not provide effectual bonding with the host bone resulting in loosening and subsequent failure at the bone-implant interface. The coatings of bioactive glass (BG) are used to alter the implant surface chemistry to boost cell functions that promote better osseointegration.
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of BG nanoparticles coating deposited to modify titanium surface to enhance osseointegration.
Methodology: Twenty-four Titanium-alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) substrates were sandblasted, ultrasonically cleaned and divided into 4 equal groups (A, B, C and D). A and B were the control groups while C and D were coated with 70 mol% silica oxide –30 mol% calcium oxide (70S30Ca) BG nanoparticles using electrophoretic deposition technique (EPD). The BG was prepared by modified sol-gel technique then milled into nanoparticles. The antibacterial action of the obtained coatings against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria was characterized 24 h following incubation at 35°C using well diffusion susceptibility test.
Results: After incubation, both control and test specimens were showing normal bacterial growth with no observed inhibition zones for both types of bacteria.
Conclusions: The deposited 70S30Ca BG coating on titanium-alloy substrates using EPD was showing no antibacterial effect against S. aureus and E. coli.