Influence of sterilization methods, ethylene oxide and gamma radiation, in physical-chemical features of two materials for implant abutments, titanium and zirconia

Abstract

The titanium abutments implant have been used due to excellent biocompatibility and corrosion resistance of titanium oxide. However, the demand to abutments resistant and esthetic benefited the introduction ceramics abutments implants fabricated with dioxide zirconium or zirconia (Zr). Among them chemical and physical properties of these surfaces, the roughness and surface free energy (SFE) interfering directly on behavior of per-implanter tissue and on bacteria adhesion. Since the peri-implanter healthy depends on, among them, of characteristics of prosthetic and implants components, attention must be given to surfaces changes passible to occur. After the materials confections, the components are submitted to sterilization process before their commercialization, but the sterilization effect on chemical and physical properties of these surfaces have been few studied. It is known that a medium roughness (Ra) above 0,2 um can be affect, the chemical and physical properties of some kind of surfaces and, this way, can favorable the development of bacteria biofilm. Among the available methods to sterilize the titanium and zirconia, gamma radiation and ethylene oxide deserve highlight. Both are methods used for commercial companies and admit high level to sterilization and guarantee for a long time. Few know about the effect of these processes in relation to roughness alteration and surface free energy. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the influence of two sterilization methods by means of gamma radiation and ethylene oxide on surface roughness and SFE of two abutments implants surfaces: titanium and zirconia. (AU)