Use of the electrical device on dental implant�s bacterial biofilm: a preliminary in vitro study

Background. Mucositis and peri-implantitis are pathologies that may be encountered during dental implant rehabilitation. Therapeutic strategies for their resolution range from non-surgical to surgical treatments and aimed at eliminating the biofilm from the implant’s surface, through mechanical, chemical or photodynamic agents. Aim. The aim was to evaluate the effect of the electric field generated by the Xim-plant machine on the bacterial load and on the biofilm grown on dental implants. Materials and Methods. Ten dental implants were brought into contact with a donor’s saliva, then five implants were treated with the electric field and four were not treated. Bacterial biofilm was then measured by resazurin assay, both on treated and un-treated implants. Results. The study showed the preliminary success of the electrofield in reducing the microbial population and destroying the clinical biofilm, compared with a sterile implant as control.