Disinfection of Implant Prosthetic Components Before Delivery

The oral biofilm harbors pathogenic bacteria such as Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedia, and Porphyromonas gingivalis that have been directly related with the etiopathogenesis and prognosis of peri-implant diseases. This chapter aims to provide an evidence-based review of methods that are used to disinfect implant abutments before insertion. Argon plasma helps remove contamination and microbiologic pollution from metal surfaces. Moreover, it also helps modify the physico-chemical and biological features of implant surfaces, and their ability to adapt with the surrounding soft and osseous tissues. With regard to 0.2% chlorhexidine, it has been speculated that application of this agent to the implant abutment connection during all surgical and prosthetic phases reduces the counts of pathogenic bacteria in the subgingival oral biofilm. On the contrary, irrigation of implant surfaces with 10% H₂O₂irrigation has been shown to be superior to 0.9% saline and 0.2% chlorhexidine in terms of antibacterial activity. Studies have shown that nanoparticles generate a change in the physical properties, which results in different degrees of damage to bacterial cells. A limited number of studies have also reported that iodine and ethyl alcohol are effective antibacterial agents that can be used for the decontamination of implant prosthetic components. However, a consensus on the most ideal implant surface decontamination agent is yet to be reached.