USE OF ELECTRICAL FIELD IN BIOFILM IMPLANT REMOVAL

Aim: to evaluate the use of an electric field for biofilm removal from implants using a novel implant surface decontamination device. Methods: three implants suffering from peri-implantitis, an open defect with more than 80% bone loss, purulent exudate, and positive bleeding on probing, with a pocket depth > 6 mm, were selected, although without presenting mobility. The XIMPLANT machine (LED S.P.A., Aprilia, Italy), acted through the “PERIMPLANTITIS” protocol, in which Alternating Current (AC) flows through the unipolar electrode with a sine wave at 625 kHz, 260 Vpp peak-to-peak voltage and 15 W power, with an amperage of 180 mA, at a temperature of 37°C. Then, the surfaces, appropriately fixed and placed on the supports for SEM observation, using the BSD4 probe, are observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM - GEMINISEM 500, Carl Zeiss Mi- croscopy GmbH, Oberkochen, Germany), with increasing magnification (500×, 1.000× e 2.000×). Results: all three samples showed the absence of microbial biofilm in the application area, while the rest of the observed surface was covered with microbial biofilm, with an intensely thickened bacterial population. Conclusions: the promising results, together with the data available in the literature, open a new window on therapeutic options for the prevention and treatment of peri-implantitis, with new electrolyte devices acting on both the microbial population and the adhesion of biofilm to the implant surface, with promising results for a new and viable therapeutic option.