Antibacterial Properties of Bilayer Biomimetic Nano-ZnO for Dental Implants.

Dental implant surgery has a relatively high incidence of peri-implantitis. In this research, ZnO nanorods and ZnO nanospheres were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. ZnO nanorods first covered the surface of Ti or Ti-Zr, and ZnO nanospheres were then modified as the outermost layer. By these means a dual antibacterial effect could be realized by the rapid release of ZnO nanospheres and the sustained release of ZnO nanorods. Subsequent studies implied that this ZnO nanorods-nanospheres hierarchical structure (NRS) could be stably loaded on the surface of roughened Ti and Ti-Zr slices. The modified materials not only showed excellent antibacterial activities against both and but also showed low cellular cytotoxicity. This ZnO NRS structure is thus expected to be used as a general antimicrobial coating on the surface of Ti (Ti-Zr) in dental implant surgery.