Implant Dentistry: Monitoring of Bacteria Along the Transmucosal Passage of the Healing Screw in Absence of Functional Load.

Purpose: To assess the changes in bacterial profile along the transmucosal path of healing screws placed immediately after insertion of two-piece endosseus implants during the 4-month osseointegration phase, in absence of functional load.

Materials and methods: Two site-specific samples were collected at the peri-implant mucosa of the healing screws of 80 two-piece implants, for a total of 640 samples. Implants placement was performed following a single protocol with flapless technique, in order to limit bacterial contamination of the surgical site. Identical healing screws (5 mm diameter/4 mm height) were used for each of the 80 implants. During the 4 months of the study, the patients followed a standard oral care regimen with no special hygiene maneuvers at the collection sites.

Results: The present research documents that during the 4-month period prior to application of function load the bacterial profile of all sites exhibited a clear prevalence of cocci at the interface between implant neck and osteoalveolar crest margin.

Conclusions: A potentially pathogenic bacterial flora developed only along the peri-implant transmucosal path.