THE CLINICAL MEANING OF THE SURFACE-ROUGHNESS AND THE SURFACE FREE-ENERGY OF INTRAORAL HARD SUBSTRATE ON THE MICROBIOLOGY OF THE SUPRAGINGIVAL AND SUBGINGIVAL PLAQUE - RESULTS OF IN-VITRO AND IN-VIVO EXPERIMENTS
M. Quirynen, THE CLINICAL MEANING OF THE SURFACE-ROUGHNESS AND THE SURFACE FREE-ENERGY OF INTRAORAL HARD SUBSTRATE ON THE MICROBIOLOGY OF THE SUPRAGINGIVAL AND SUBGINGIVAL PLAQUE - RESULTS OF IN-VITRO AND IN-VIVO EXPERIMENTS, Journal of dentistry, 22, 1994, pp. 190000013-190000016
In the oral cavity, which may be considered as an open growth system,
most bacteria can only survive if they adhere to the hard surfaces (te
eth, filling materials, dental implants, or prostheses). Such bacteria
l adhesion occurs in four phases: transport to the surface, initial ad
hesion with a reversible and irreversible stage, attachment by specifi
c interactions and finally colonization. During this process the rough
ness and the free energy of the surfaces play a key role. The reductio
n in roughness of a surface will result in a dramatic retardation of p
laque formation and maturation. A reduction in surface free energy of
the substratum will result in a decrease in plaque growth rate, a decr
ease in plaque retention capacity of the surface and in the selection
of specific organisms. Although both parameters interact with each oth
er, the influence of surface roughness is dominant. The importance of
both parameters justifies the demand for smooth surfaces with a low su
rface free energy in order to prevent plaque formation, thereby reduci
ng the occurrence of gingival inflammation.