Surface Characterization of Bone-Level and Tissue-Level PEEK and Titanium Dental Implant Scan Bodies After Repeated Autoclave Sterilization Cycles.

Background: Sterilization is required for any biomedical device intended to be used in contact with the human body. Several studies have reported alterations in the bulk and surface properties of such devices after repeated sterilization cycles. These surface modifications may influence other clinical parameters. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the surface and chemical properties of implant scan bodies (SBs) after consecutive autoclave sterilization procedures. Methods: The objective was to analyze the scan bodies using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for chemical analysis and an optical profilometer to analyze the surface roughness. Results: FTIR spectra depicted the appearance of peak at 1741 and 1100 cm-1 due to the diphenyl ether band disappearance. The XPS spectra showed alterations in the elemental composition after autoclaving and roughness were significantly reduced in PEEK BL and TL SBs. Conclusions: These results indicated that some surface modifications were induced by repeated sterilization cycles.