Thanks to a collaboration with BTK dental it was possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the Plasma Jet treatment as a cold plasma ionization technology for the rapid surface decontamination of dental implants.
It is well known from the literature that plasma (usually generated inside vacuum chambers) can be a valid ally in the sterilization, decontamination, cleaning and surface activation of an implantable medical device. The active and radical species present in the ionized gas (plasma) are able to bring simultaneously, and in a short time, multiple benefits to the surface with which they come into contact.
In this case it was possible to verify the effectiveness of cold plasma at atmospheric pressure in the decontamination and surface cleaning of dental implants.
The plasma is able to open covalent bonds in order to break the organic chains, transforming the contaminants into inert volatile compounds (mostly water and carbon dioxide), without leaving residues on the treated surface.
Furthermore, the effectiveness of the same technology in surface activation processes has been verified.
The ions and active species present in the plasma, in contact with a surface, increase its surface energy, thus making the surface more hydrophilic. It follows that the implant will be more inclined to be completely wetted by biological liquids, thus improving the cell adhesion and proliferation.
The Plasma Jet, powered by argon, has a design suitable for the treatment of medical implants both in a production line and for final sterilisation/decontamination as a chair side tool.
The advantages observed during the study of dental implants are:
- Speed of the process: 15-30s depending on the size of the plant
- No surface morphological alterations
- Flexibility and automation: the plasma flow can be directed in a selective and automated way on the implants of interest
