Influence of saliva-coating on the ultraviolet-light-induced photocatalytic bactericidal effects on modified titanium surfaces

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ultraviolet-light-induced photocatalytic bactericidal effects of titanium surfaces on Streptococcus sanguinis in the presence of saliva-coating. Three different titanium disks were prepared: machined (MA), heat-treated (HT), and anodized surfaces (AO). Each disk was incubated with whole saliva or phosphate-buffered saline for 2 h. Antibacterial tests were performed by incubating a S. sanguinis suspension with each disk for 90 or 180 min under ultraviolet (UV) illumination. The viable counts of bacteria were enumerated from the cell suspension and the UV-light-induced photocatalytic bactericidal effects were determined by the bacterial survival rate. Without saliva-coating, AO disks exhibited significantly decreased bacterial survival rates compared to MA disks. The bacterial survival rates of the HT disks were intermediate between MA and AO in the absence of saliva-coating. However, saliva-coating significantly increased bacterial survival rates in all surface types. There was no significant difference in bacterial survival rates among the three surface types after saliva-coating. This study suggests that Ti-based antibacterial implant materials using TiO2 photocatalyst may have a limitation for intraoral use.