Blood Wettability of Different Dental Implant Surfaces after Different Pre-Treatments: Ultrasonic Instrumentation, Platelet-Rich Fibrin Coating, and Acid Etching. An In Vitro Study

Abstract

Background: The blood wettability of titanium implant surfaces favors primary osseointegration and tissue healing in peri-implantitis. The current study aims to evaluate this property on the main different kinds of surfaces, brand new and after treatments. Methods: grade IV titanium disks were used, five machined, five laser-treated, five sandblasted. The experiment was on four steps. Between each step, specimens were sterilized. At the end of each step, a 4 µL blood drop was put on the samples, and contact angles were calculated. The steps consisted of—1: no treatment; 2: surface instrumentation with an ultrasonic titanium tip; 3: platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) coating and drying with sterile gauze; 4: etching with phosphoric acid, rinse and saline solution and air-drying. At the end of each phase, a blood drop was placed on the surfaces. Blood for PRF preparation and for calculation of contact angles was collected from a single source. Results: average wettability decreased after instrumentation, and increased after the PRF application to a superior level both to the first and second steps. The highest wettability was obtained after etching. This trend is statistically significant for machined and sandblasted surfaces. Conclusions: In the clinical environment, PRF and phosphoric acid used for conditioning exposed implant surfaces can be used for the healing of peri-implant tissues.