Evaluation of Bacterial Leakage in Platform-Switching Dental Implant with Morse Taper Connection Under Thermocycling and Loading Effects: In Vitro Study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to test in vitro the bacterial microleakage at the Morse taper implant-abutment connection with switched platform subjected to functional load and thermocycling.
Materials and Methods: A total of 48 Morse taper implant-abutment connections with switched platforms (12 implants per group) were used. The abutments were attached to implants and presented in four groups: group 1, control; group 2, subjected to thermocycling; group 3, subjected to cyclic compressive loading; and group 4, subjected to thermocycling and cyclic compressive loading. All groups were then inoculated in Eppendorf tubes including three types of bacterial suspensions: Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa for 7 and 14 days to detect possibility of bacterial infiltration from outside to the internal chamber of the implant.
Results: Implants not exposed to cyclic loading and thermocycling (group 1) and those exposed to thermocycling (group 2) exhibited no infiltration of E faecalis, S aureus, and P aeruginosa from outside to the inner chamber of the implant, while infiltration of P aeruginosa was only observed in implants subjected to cyclic loading only (group 3) and those subjected to cyclic loading in conjunction with thermocycling (group 4).
Conclusion: Microbial leakage at the implant-abutment connection is influenced by the applied load alone and in combination with thermocycling; however, E faecalis and S aureus did not leak at the implant-abutment connection even under these circumstances. Only P aeruginosa infiltrated inside the implant-abutment connection, which might be caused by its swarming motility.