Noves estratègies per la millora de les característiques biològiques dels implants dentals

Resumen

Titanium (Ti) and its alloys are currently the materials chosen for many dental applications, mainly due to their optimum biocompatibility and excellent mechanical properties. Despite the success rates of dental implants, even nowadays, the risk of implant failure is still relevant, especially in long term periods. The main causes reported for this failure are the lack of osteointegration with the surrounding bone and the appearance of a biofilm that causes periimplantitis and therefore the loosening of the implant. To prevent infections related to dental implants, one possible strategy is the detection of the presence of bacteria in the initial stages of biofilm growth. Among all detection methods, impedimetric biosensors, which are cheap and easy to use, are the most promising tool in this field. For the design of the biosensor, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are well-known components of the immune system and show a broad range of antibacterial activity, can be used to develop very effective biorecognition elements. Another approach, is to create antibacterial surfaces, to reduce bacterial colonization or to prevent its adhesion, by anchoring biomolecules with antibacterial properties. Regarding this, surface biofunctionalization of dental implants is a method that is also widely used to improve the interactions between cells and material and thus, improve the other problem found in dental implants: the lack of osteointegration. There are many methods to modify the surfaces of the implants and their interaction with the tissues, but chemical strategies based on the immobilization of organic biomolecules, such as peptide motifs, have shown very good results both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, in this Thesis, two strategies are described to improve the viability of dental implants: a first one focused on the design of a biosensor for the detection of bacteria at an early stage of the biofilm development process; and a second that focuses on the improvement of the surface of the dental implant by means of the anchorage of organic biomolecules with multifunctionality.