The bone healing process following osteotomy may vary according to the type of surgical instrumentation. The aim of the present in vivo study was to determine thermal changes of the bone tissue following osteotomies performed by Er:YAG laser ablation in contact and non-contact modes, piezoelectric surgery, and surgical drill using an infrared thermographic camera. For each measurement, the temperature before the osteotomy-baseline (Tbase) and the maximal temperature measured during osteotomy (Tmax) were determined. Mean temperature (ΔT) values were calculated for each osteotomy technique. The significance of the difference of the registered temperature between groups was assessed by the ANOVA test for repeated measures. Mean baseline temperature (Tbase) was 27.9 ± 0.3 °C for contact Er:YAG laser, 29.9 ± 0.3 °C for non-contact Er:YAG laser, 29.4 ± 0.3 °C for piezosurgery, and 28.3 ± 0.3 °C for surgical drill. Mean maximum temperature (Tmax) was 29.9 ± 0.5 °C (ΔT = 1.9 ± 0.3 °C) for contact Er:YAG laser, 79.1 ± 4.6 °C (ΔT = 49.1 ± 4.4 °C) for non-contact Er:YAG laser, 29.1 ± 0.2 °C (ΔT = −0.2 ± 0.3 °C) for piezosurgery, and 27.3 ± 0.4 °C (ΔT = −0.9 ± 0.4 °C) for surgical drill. Statistically significant temperature changes were observed for the non-contact laser. The results of the study showed beneficial effects of the osteotomy performed by the Er:YAG laser used in the contact mode of working as well as for piezosurgery, reducing the potential overheating of the bone tissue as determined by means of infrared thermography.

Background: Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been introduced as a potential option for peri-implantitis treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of a novel technique involving a combination of 445 nm diode laser light with 0.1% riboflavin solution (used as a photosensitizing dye) as applied on a bacterial–fungal biofilm formed on implants and to compare the performance of this technique with that of the commonly used combination of 660 nm diode laser with 0.1% methylene blue dye. Methods: An in vitro study was conducted on 80 titanium dental implants contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and Candida albicans (CA) species. The implants were randomly divided into four groups: negative control (NC), without surface treatment; positive control (PC), treated with a 0.2% chlorhexidine (CHX)-based solution; PDT1, 660 nm (EasyTip 320 µm, 200 mW, Q power = 100 mW, 124.34 W/cm², 1240 J/cm²) with a 0.1% methylene blue dye; and PDT2, 445 nm (EasyTip 320 µm, 200 mW, Q power = 100 mW, 100 Hz, 124.34 W/cm², 1.24 J/cm²) with a 0.1% riboflavin dye. Results: The PDT1 and PDT2 groups showed greater reduction of SA and CA in comparison to the NC group and no significant differences in comparison to the PC group. No statistically significant differences between the PDT1 and PDT2 groups were observed. Conclusions: A novel antimicrobial treatment involving a combination of 445 nm diode laser light with riboflavin solution showed efficiency in reducing SA and CA biofilm formation on dental implant surfaces comparable to those of the more commonly used PDT treatment consisting of 660 nm diode laser light with methylene blue dye or 0.2% CHX treatment.

Photoactivation of 3% hydrogen peroxide with a 445 nm diode laser represents a relatively new, insufficiently researched antimicrobial method in the treatment of peri-implantitis. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the effect of photoactivation of 3% hydrogen peroxide with a 445 nm diode laser, and to compare the obtained results with 0.2% chlorhexidine treatment and 3% hydrogen peroxide treatment without photoactivation, in vitro, on the surface of dental implants contaminated with S. aureus and C. albicans biofilms. Previously, 80 infected titanium implants with S. aureus and C. albicans cultures were divided into four groups: G1-negative control (no treatment), G2-positive control (0.2% chlorhexidine), G3 (3% hydrogen peroxide), and G4 (photoactivated 3% hydrogen peroxide). The number of viable microbes in each sample was determined by the colony forming unit (CFU) count. The results were statistically processed and analyzed, showing a statistically significant difference across all groups compared to the negative control (G1), and the absence of a statistically significant difference between groups G1–G3. The new antimicrobial treatment, according to the results, could be worthy of further analysis and research.

Implant abutment selection is an important step in implant treatment to restore one or more lost teeth. The aim of this study was to compare stock and individual CAD/CAM full-form abutments after one year in function. A total of 64 subjects with one missing tooth were divided into two groups according to the type of abutment: 34 patients were given a stock abutment, and 30 an individual CAD/CAM abutment. Patients were scheduled for check-ups seven days after functional loading and after four, eight, and twelve months. Peri-implant soft tissue status was checked at every check-up by monitoring parameters traditionally used in similar studies: plaque index; bleeding on probing; and probing depth. To assess the stability of the bone tissue, radiological methods of measuring the amount of bone level compared to the implant shoulder were used. When needed, data were analysed by χ² test or by Fisher’s exact test. The normality of the distribution of quantitative measurements (properties) was tested by the Shapiro–Wilk test. Differences in the distribution of quantitative variables frequencies were analysed by Student’s t-test. Student’s t-test was used for repeated measurements, Mann–Whitney’s U test and ANOVA test for repeated measurements, and Friedmann’s two-way analysis of variance for repeated measurements. The predictive values of the chosen variables on the ABI index were assessed by the logistic regression model (Enter method). The results of this study showed that the impact of the abutment type (individual CAD/CAM or stock) on the average bleeding on probing was significant, especially after eight or twelve months. However, the abutment type did not show a significant correlation with the total crestal bone loss. The level of oral hygiene showed a significant correlation with the average bleeding on probing. The influence of smoking cigarettes on the total crestal bone loss evaluation was also significant. Overall, from a clinical perspective, custom CAD/CAM abutment performed slightly better than stock abutments during the one-year follow-up.

The presence of a microgap along an implant–abutment connection (IAC) is considered the main disadvantage of two-piece implant systems. Its existence may lead to mechanical and biological complications. Different IAC designs have been developed to minimise microleakage through the microgap and to increase the stability of prosthodontic abutments. Furthermore, different sealing materials have appeared on the market to seal the gap at the IAC. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy and permeability of different materials designed to seal the microgap, and their behaviour in conical and straight types of internal IACs. One hundred dental implants with original prosthodontic abutments were divided into two groups of fifty implants according to the type of IAC. Three different sealing materials (GapSeal, Flow.sil, and Oxysafe gel) were applied in the test subgroups. The contamination of implant–abutment assemblies was performed by a joint suspension containing Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus. It was concluded that the IAC type had no significant influence on microleakage regarding microbial infection. No significant difference was found between the various sealing agents. Only one sealing agent (GapSeal) was found to significantly prevent microleakage. A complete hermetic seal was not achieved with any of the sealing agents tested in this study.

The microenvironment of the oral cavity is altered when an implant, a biocompatible foreign body, is inserted into the mouth. Bacteria settle in the tissues in and around the implant due to the passage of microorganisms through the microgap at the connection of the implant and prosthetic abutment. To prevent colonization of the implant by microorganisms, one idea is to use sealing and antimicrobial materials to decontaminate the implant–abutment interface and close the microgap. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy and permeability of different types of sealing materials at the implant–abutment interface, under static conditions. Three different sealing material (GapSeal gel, Oxysafe gel and Flow.sil) were used for sealing the implant–abutment interfaces in 60 titanium dental implants, which were first contaminated with a solution containing Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans for 14 days under an aerobic condition. Results showed that a complete seal against bacterial infection was not formed at the implant–abutment interface, while for fungal infections, only GapSeal material helped to prevent microleakage. Findings of this in vitro study reported that application of sealing material before abutment connection may reduce peri-implant bacterial and fungal population compared with the interface without sealing material.