Title

Evaluation of biofilm formation on titanium and zirconia implant surfaces: An in vitro comparative study

Authors

Shreemohan Mishra¹, S. Priyalatha², Saranik Sarkar³, Anurag Ashok Shendre⁴, Snehal Nitin Labhshetwar⁴ & Hiroj Bagde^5,*

Affiliation

¹Department of Periodontics, New Horizon Dental College and Research Institute, Sakri, Bilaspur CG, Chhattisgarh, India; ²Department of Prosthodontics, Government Dental College And Hospital, Afzulgunj, Hyderabad, Telangana, India; ³Department of Periodontist and Oral Implantologist, Dr. Sarkar's Dental Clinic & Implant Center, Howrah, West Bengal India; ⁴Department of Periodontology, Saraswati Dhanwantari Dental college and Research institute, Parbhani, Maharashtra, India; ⁵Department of Periodontology Government Dental College and Hospital, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Shreemohan Mishra - E-mail: drshreemohan@gmail.com

S. Priyalatha - E-mail: priyalathasuvvati16284@gmail.com

Saranik Sarkar - E-mail: saranik1993@gmail.com

Anurag Ashok Shendre - E-mail: anuragshendre2383@gmail.com

Snehal Nitin Labhshetwar - E-mail: snehallabhshetwar@gmail.com

Hiroj Bagde - E-mail: hirojbagde8@gmail.com

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received July 1, 2026; Revised July 31, 2026; Accepted July 31, 2026, Published July 31, 2026

Abstract

Bacterial biofilm formation on implant surfaces is a major problem because it contributes to peri-implant mucosal inflammation and subsequent peri-implant bone loss. Therefore, it is of interest to compare the early multispecies oral biofilm formation on polished titanium, sandblasted and acid-etched titanium, polished zirconia and roughened zirconia discs. A total of 120 sterile discs were exposed to salivary-pellicle mixed bacterial suspension and incubated for 24, 48 and 72 hours, followed by assessment of optical density, colony-forming units, confocal biofilm thickness and scanning electron microscopic surface coverage. At 72 hours, rough titanium showed the highest biofilm biomass, viable count and surface coverage, whereas polished zirconia showed the lowest values, with statistically significant differences among groups (p<0.001). Thus, polished zirconia showed reduced biofilm formation compared with titanium, suggesting its potential usefulness as a biologically favorable implant-abutment material in patients at risk of plaque accumulation.

Keywords

Biofilm; titanium implants; zirconia implants; peri-implantitis; surface roughness; bacterial adhesion; in vitro study

Citation

Mishra et al. Bioinformation 22(7): 4354-4358 (2026)

Edited by

Hiroj Bagde

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.