A Novel Approach to Prove Bacterial Leakage of Implant-Abutment Connections In Vitro

Bacterial leakage from the implant-abutment-interface (IAI) is suspected of contributing to the development of peri-implantitis. The aim of the study was to develop a straightforward test setup to evaluate the bacterial leakage of the IAI of 2-piece implant systems under laboratory conditions. A test suspension of Enterococcus faecium was injected into 7 implants (PerioType Rapid Implants) prior to abutment fixation. The IAI was covered by kanamycin aesculn azide agar (KAAA), which serves as an optical indicator for E. faecium. The specimens were cyclically loaded with a force of 120 N for up to 1 000 000 cycles in a universal testing machine in accordance with the ISO 14801:2007 standard. The color change of the KAAA was recorded. Three of the 7 implants showed bacterial leakage before the cyclic loading test started. The bacterial tightness of the IAIs of the 4 remaining implants lasted for 35 680 ± 22 467 cycles on average. The experimental setup at hand provides the means for a straightforward evaluation of the bacterial tightness of the IAI of 2-piece dental implants.