Electrochemical Erosion of Ti6Al4V Used for Dental Implants With Biofilms

Objectives: This research studied the behavior of electrochemical erosion of a titanium alloy Ti6Al4V in the presence of Fusobacterium nucleatum and Streptococcus gordonii.
Methods: The titanium alloy Ti6Al4V samples were mechanized, sanded, and washed in 70% ethanol for 15 minutes in an ultrasonic cube for sterilization. The bacteria were cultured separately in trypticase soy at 37°C and subsequently were mixed in equal proportions (1 x 10⁶). Electrolytes were used with S. gordonii, F. nucleatum and Ringer`s solution. The electrochemical techniques used were open circuit potential monitoring and cyclic potentiodynamic polarization to identify the presence of corrosion.
Results: The results show that there is no pitting corrosion of the titanium in the presence of the electrolytes under study and the SEM analysis shows that there are alloy elements and calcium deposits in the morphology ( p≤ .05).
Conclusions: Electrochemical polarization offers an efficient simulation model for evaluating material deterioration in corrosive biofilms. The open potential circuit shows a stationary state that can be maintained during the immersion period. Cyclic potentiodynamic polarization helps determine the type of corrosion that the sample will show.