Impact of Silicon Carbide Coating and Nanotube Diameter on the Antibacterial Properties of Nanostructured Titanium Surfaces

This study aimed to comprehensively assess the influence of the nanotube diameter and the presence of a silicon carbide (SiC) coating on microbial proliferation on nanostructured titanium surfaces. An experiment used 72 anodized titanium sheets with varying nanotube diameters of 50 and 100 nm. These sheets were divided into four groups: non-coated 50 nm titanium nanotubes, SiC-coated 50 nm titanium nanotubes, non-coated 100 nm titanium nanotubes, and SiC-coated 100 nm titanium nanotubes, totaling 36 samples per group. P. gingivalis and T. denticola reference strains were used to evaluate microbial proliferation. Samples were assessed over 3 and 7 days using fluorescence microscopy with a live/dead viability kit and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). At the 3-day time point, fluorescence and SEM images revealed a lower density of microorganisms in the 50 nm samples than in the 100 nm samples. However, there was a consistently low density of T. denticola across all the groups. Fluorescence images indicated that most bacteria were viable at this time. By the 7th day, there was a decrease in the microorganism density, except for T. denticola in the non-coated samples. Additionally, more dead bacteria were detected at this later time point. These findings suggest that the titanium nanotube diameter and the presence of the SiC coating influenced bacterial proliferation. The results hinted at a potential antibacterial effect on the 50 nm diameter and the coated surfaces. These insights contribute valuable knowledge to dental implantology, paving the way for developing innovative strategies to enhance the antimicrobial properties of dental implant materials and mitigate peri-implant infections.