Research Terms
Bioglass Research Center (HSC)
| Director |
Arthur Clark |
| Phone | (352) 273-6901 |
| Website | None |
| Mission | The Bioglass Research Center is an organization devoted to the development of surface active bioactive glasses. The original name given to these materials is Bioglass. The University of Florida has a trademark for this name. Commercial products that have resulted from this program include Perioglas which is used to help restore bone around periodontally involved teeth and Novabone which is used for orthopeadic appilications. Royalties have been paid to the University of Florida for five years. Currently the center is inactive as there is no active funding. |
This antibacterial coating for the titanium screw that attaches the new implant to the bone of the jaw reduces the progression of peri-implant disease, which can lead to bone loss and eventual loss of the implant. Implants are a more common replacement for missing teeth than traditional fixed or removable dental prostheses. Approximately five percent of all dental implants anchored through osseointegration, or the attachment of human bone cells to a metal surface, will fail within ten years. Peri-implantitis, a degenerative, site-specific bacterial infection with no treatment options, causes inflammation of soft-tissue around the implant and bone loss following installation, making it the main cause of failed implants. Available implants traditionally use screws with a coating of titanium-nitride, which reduces corrosion and has good biocompatibility to help osseointegration. However, in those cases where peri-implantitis develops it can lead to loss of bone as well as failure of the implant. Attempts to coat the screw with charged metallic particles with antibacterial properties, such as copper, silver or magnesium, resulted in unfavorable interactions with surrounding tissue.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a titanium-nitride coating incorporating an antibacterial layer of quaternary nitrogen that has improved antiseptic properties without using charged metallic ions. Preliminary data indicates that the positively charged quaternized TiN outperforms traditional TiN coatings with a 40-50 percent reduction in bacteria.
Antibacterial dental implant coating that will reduce peri-implant disease and increase implant lifetime
The formation of the antimicrobial layer relies on producing a charged titanium-nitride (TiN) surface through a Menschutkin reaction, which is commonly used to synthesize quaternary ammonium salts. Creation of a charged TiN surface requires three steps. First, a titanium vapor solidifies, forming the titanium layer. Next, a titanium-nitride (TiN) layer forms through evaporation, chemical vapor deposition, plasma spray or sputtering, which coats the titanium layer. Finally, the titanium-nitride (TiN) quarternizes through a reaction of the titanium-nitride layer with an alkyl halide.
This coating for medical implants minimizes surface corrosion and inhibits the formation of bacterial biofilm while maintaining biocompatibility. The global medical device coatings market is expected to reach $17.4 billion in value by 2023 . The largest segment of this market is anti-microbial coatings, which dental or orthopedic implants employ to reduce the risk of infection and need for premature replacement. Implant coatings must inhibit bacterial growth but not impair survival and growth of cells in the recipient tissues. Many available coatings that afford strong antibacterial properties release ions that are toxic to mammalian cells. For dental and orthopedic implants, coatings that have good antibacterial activity, but are also biocompatible as well as providing corrosion-resistance are hard to find.
Researchers at the University of Florida have discovered that a very thin coating of silicon carbide (SiC) prevents the formation of bacterial biofilm without disrupting healthy mammalian cell adhesion or proliferation. The SiC coating has additional corrosion and abrasion resistant properties that increase durability of an implant.
Biocompatible implant coating to protect against bacterial infection and corrosion
The silicon carbide coating applies to an implant surface by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Quaternizing the SiC coating by adding nitrogen atoms to the SiC surface coatings during PECVD further increases the coating’s antimicrobial properties. The SiC surfaces are corrosion and wear-resistant and exhibit greater hydrophobicity than non-coated surfaces, minimizing the formation of biofilm. In one study, SiC coated materials exhibited a biofilm coverage of 16.9 percent whereas uncoated samples displayed coverage of 91.8 percent after 24 hours.
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