Collagen barrier membranes may accelerate bacterial growth in vitro: A potential clinical risk to regenerative procedures

Objectives: Evaluate the antibacterial properties of three commercial collagen membranes for guided bone regeneration (GBR). Method and Materials: BioGide®, OsseoGuard®, and CopiOs® membranes were tested for antibacterial properties against Streptococcus sanguinis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis using a direct contact test (DCT). Samples of each membrane, sized 5 × 2 mm, were fixed to the side wall of 6 wells in a 96-well microtiter plate. Bacterial suspension was placed on each sample. The plate was incubated at 37°C for 1 hour to allow suspension fluid evaporation. Fresh medium was added to each well and the plate was mixed. Non-contaminated membrane samples served as negative control. Bacterial growth was monitored spectrophotometrically at 650 nm for 24 hours. ANOVA and Tukey's comparison tests were used for the statistical analysis. Results: The presence of the membrane samples did not disrupt bacterial growth. However, the presence of OsseoGuard membrane accelerated bacterial growth rate of S sanguinis and S epidermidis as compared to the other two membranes and control samples (P .001), and of S aureus as compared to the control alone (P .001). Conclusions: The tested collagen membranes have no antibacterial properties. However, OsseoGuard presents a significant bacterial growth enhancement effect with possible significant clinical implications on the success of regenerative procedures around teeth and implants. Keywords: antibacterial, barrier, collagen, membranes, regeneration, resorbable