Projects
DFG-Project
(https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/459850162)
Nanodiamond functionalized implant surfaces for vital oral soft tissue sealing
Project leader: Dr. Wolf-Brandstetter (subproject 2) together with Professor Dr. Bernd Kreikemeyer (Universitätmedizin Rostock) ; Dr. Jörg Opitz (Fraunhofer IKTS)
Project work: M.Sc. Kedar Metha
Funding interval: 09/2022-08/2025
Dental implants are a well established treatment option for the replacement of missing teeth. However, the soft tissue in the area of the abutment is susceptible to peri-implant mucositis caused by an adherent biofilm. As the inflammatory process progresses, peri-implantitis is associated with bone resorption and loss of osseointegration. In the transition area to the oral cavity, easy-to-clean surfaces should be sought to avoid matured biofilms. At the same time, a stable attachment of the soft tissue to the abutment prevents the penetration of pathogenic bacteria into the periodontium.
The aim of the proposed project is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the mutual influences of texturing, surface energy and surface chemistry aiming for superior properties of titanium surfaces with respect to biofilm formation as well as soft tissue sealing. For this purpose, specifically functionalized nanodiamonds, which are modified both in terms of their size and their surface chemistry, are partially integrated into titanium surfaces by anodic thickening of the oxide layers.
The microbial and cell biological characterization is carried out under static as well as dynamic conditions with appropriate conditioning of the surfaces in order to simulate the conditions in the oral cavity as well as preventive cleaning measures.
Using statistical design of experiments, matrices with different combinations of surface energy, surface chemistry and topography are generated and analyzed by multiple regression with respect to the parameters i) number of focal complexes, ii) cell size and iii) fibrin reorganization for adhesion of gingival fibroblasts or iv) live bacteria counts and v) biofilm mass for primary adhesion of relevant oral bacteria in mono or di-species cultures. Promising surface conditions will then be characterized in complex multi-species biofilm models and with regard to the barrier function of adherent gingival cells and the functionality of selected aspects of the human immune defense.
Based on these mutually complementary findings, the comprehensive assessment of the influence of nanostructure parameters is possible for surfaces with identical surface chemistry and largely constant surface energy. It is expected that synergistic effects of nanostructures and chemical functionalization can be identified by the analysis of a variety of possible combinations.
The utilization of nanodiamonds in the modification of titanium surfaces provides the opportunity for future modular systems with arbitrarily combinable properties or additional specific functionalization.
ITI-Project
Development of a cleaning-test-unit to reliable quantify debridement success of newly designed dental surface modifications in vitro
Project leader: Dr. Wolf-Brandstetter together with Jun-Prof. Paula Korn (Clinic for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medical faculty TU Dresden)
Project work: Janina Rolinger
Funding interval: 09/2023-03/2026
Titanium-based dental implants have been used for decades with high success rates. However, bacterial colonization at the junction with the oral cavity can lead to peri-implantitis, which can result in inflammatory reactions of the gingiva, bone resorption and, in the worst case, loss of the implant. New developments are aimed at developing surfaces from which the initially formed biofilm can be removed very easily, thus ensuring long-term implantation success in the field of private or dental prophylaxis. In order to comprehensively characterize such surfaces with regard to their properties, it is necessary to establish a cleaning unit that allows reproducible application of the relevant parameter settings. Currently, there is no commercial device that can be used to test biofilm eradication methods in a standardized and reproducible manner. The goal of this project is to develop a cost-effective and time-saving method for high-throughput analysis in dental implant research. The cleaning test device will contribute to a standardized evaluation of implant surfaces under clinically relevant conditions, which could reduce the number of unnecessary in vivo studies on animals and humans.