Effect of low direct current on anaerobic multispecies biofilm adhering to a titanium implant surface.

PURPOSE Peri-implantitis is caused by biofilm adhering to the implant. It has been shown that bactericidal electrolysis products are generated when a low direct current is applied to a titanium implant used as the anode. The hypothesis of this study was that low-current electrolysis would eradicate viable bacteria in a simulated subgingival multispecies biofilm adhering to a titanium implant surface. MATERIAL AND METHODS Biofilms consisting of eight anaerobic species were grown on pellicle-coated titanium discs with sand-blasted, acid-etched, large-grit (SLA; Straumann, Basel, Switzerland) surface. After 40.5 hours of growth, discs were treated with 10 mA for 10 minutes in an electrolytical setup with physiological saline and gelatin. RESULTS Low direct current at discs used as the cathode caused a reduction of three to four orders of magnitude in viable counts, while no viable bacteria were recovered from anode discs (Mann-Whitney U-test, p < .01). Confocal laser scanning microscopy in combination with a live/dead stain showed biofilm detachment at the cathode and reduced viability at the anode. CONCLUSION Electrochemical treatment of diseased implants appears to be promising and well worth investigating further.