Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute, Germany, have reportedly developed DentaPlas, an antimicrobial coating for dental implants that consists of three layers, with two plasma polymer layers surrounding a center layer of silver nanoparticles. Within this structure, a biocide reservoir is formed, and the outermost layer releases the ions.
Scientists can tailor the silver concentration as well as the thickness of the layers and their porosity. This allows the silver ions to penetrate the outermost plasma polymer layer over a set period of time. When the silver reservoir is exhausted, no more silver ions are released, thus avoiding any long-term toxic effects.
In trials of finished implants and titanium test samples, the team demonstrated that the DentaPlas coating is not only anti-microbial, but also fully biocompatible and sterilizable. They confirmed the mechanical stability and robustness of the DentaPlas coating in trials using the lower jawbones of pigs taken from butcher shops. Here, they subjected the DentaPlas-coated implants to the rigors of being screwed into place with instruments in modern dental practice.
The DentaPlas coating passed this stress test with no problems. Project partner and Fraunhofer spinoff Bio Gate AG successfully transferred the processes of coating the test samples and titanium screws to its own production facilities. This medical technology company is also the manufacturer of the DentaPlas three-layer coating system.
A demonstration unit of the plasma polymer coating is currently available. Researchers will be presenting a dental implant featuring the DentaPlas coating at the MEDICA trade fair in Düsseldorf from November 16 -19 at the joint Fraunhofer booth (Hall 10, Booth G05).
