Interactions between Bioactive Glass and Periodontal Pathogens

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Abstract
Bioactive glasses have been used in periodontal applications such as grafting infrabony periodontal lesions. We studied a bioactive glass S53P4 for its possible antibacterial effects on the periodontal pathogens Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans using agar plate tests. Also the colonisation of the bioactive glass with these microorganisms was studied by incubating bacterial suspensions with glass granules. Two precorrosion procedures were used to create chemically differing surfaces on the bioactive glass. The bioactive glass did not alter the growth properties of any of the tested microorganisms. P. intermedia and A. actinomycetemcomitans showed adherence both to the untreated and precorroded bioactive glasses. However, P. gingivalis adhered only to the precorroded glasses and was agglutinated in the presence of the untreated glass. Coating the untreated glass with serum or Actinomyces viscosus cells did not eliminate the agglutination. Thus, even though the bioactive glas S53P4 did not alter the growth properties of the studied microorganisms it may in vivo beneficially modify the microbiota of periodontal lesions by agglutinating P. gingivalis.