Conclusions
It is not possible to assume that rough surfaces are more susceptible to early biofilm formation than smooth titanium surfaces. Additional studies are required to study this multifarious interaction.
Material and methods
The research was performed on PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus, up to August 2021. Eligibility criteria included studies that analysed human biofilm formation on titanium specimens with distinct surface roughness (smooth vs minimally, moderate, or rough) over the experimental times of 1 or 3 days. Roughness average (Ra) and biofilm analysis parameters were extracted from selected articles. Risk of bias was evaluated using the Checklist for Quasi-Experimental Studies.
Methods
The research was performed on PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus, up to August 2021. Eligibility criteria included studies that analysed human biofilm formation on titanium specimens with distinct surface roughness (smooth vs minimally, moderate, or rough) over the experimental times of 1 or 3 days. Roughness average (Ra) and biofilm analysis parameters were extracted from selected articles. Risk of bias was evaluated using the Checklist for Quasi-Experimental Studies.
Results
Of 5286 papers, 5 were included and analysed. Smooth titanium surfaces included machined and anodized titanium/Ti-6Al-4V; machined and acid etched TiZr. Minimally, moderately, or rough surfaces comprised titanium and titanium alloys (TiZr, Ti-6Al-4V), that received surface treatments (anodization, acid-etching, blasting, hydroxyapatite-coating). No statistically significant difference on biofilm formation on rough and smooth titanium surfaces was reported by 3 studies, while more contamination on rough titanium surfaces was stated by 2 investigations. An isolated smooth surface has also been associated to higher contamination. Moderate to high quality methodological assessment of studies were identified. Conclusions: It is not possible to assume that rough surfaces are more susceptible to early biofilm formation than smooth titanium surfaces. Additional studies are required to study this multifarious interaction.