Coral-inspired anti-biofilm therapeutic abutments as a new paradigm for prevention and treatment of peri-implant infection

Peri-implant infection is one of the major causes for implant failure. The transmucosal/transcutaneous surface of implant abutment is directly connected to the external environment and constantly exposed to a large number of bacteria. Establishing a robust anti-biofilm barrier at the abutment surface to minimize the risk of peri-implant infection is highly desirable in the field of dental implantology but remains challenging. Herein, a new class of therapeutic abutments featuring excellent anti-biofilm performance is developed, which is achieved by admirably integrating the outstanding self-cleaning property of polyethylene glycol and the long-lasting renewable antibacterial property of N-halamine. Through a comprehensive series of in vitro and in vivo experiments closely mimicking clinical conditions, therapeutic abutments have been successfully demonstrated to possess the ability of inhibiting biofilm accumulation to prevent peri-implant infection, as well as to achieve persistent and accurate administration to reverse early-stage peri-implant infection. Furthermore, the therapeutic abutment could be repeatedly used, representing the characteristic of sustainable medical devices. These findings indicate a new paradigm for the prevention and treatment of peri-implant infection. The therapeutic abutment can prevent peri-implant infection by resisting biofilm accumulation to protect the soft tissue seal and treat peri-implant infection in the early stage through persistent and accurate administration. This abutment could be reused in an individual and even among different individuals, providing a new direction for controlling peri-implant infection and a typical paradigm for developing sustainable medical devices. image