Initial in vitro bacterial adhesion on dental restorative materials

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to evaluate initial bacterial adhesion on several restorative materials with similar roughness.Materials and MethodsSixty cylindrical slabs were prepared from four restorative materials: zirconia (Zr), alumina-toughened zirconia (Al-Zr), type III gold alloy (Au), and cp-titanium (Ti). All the materials were polished until a mirror-like shine was achieved. The average surface roughness and topography were determined by atomic force microscopy. Contact angles were measured to calculate surface free energy by the sessile drop technique. After the formation of a salivary pellicle, S. sanguinis, S. gordonii, and S. oralis were inoculated onto the specimens and incubated for 4 h. Quantification of the adherent bacteria was performed by crystal violet staining technique and resazurin reduction assay. One-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test were adopted for statistical analysis. The level of significance was 0.05.ResultsThe Ra values determined with atomic force microscopy ...