Advances in Dental Research, Vol 13, 67-72, Copyright © 1999 by International & American Associations for Dental Research
In vitro models of biological responses to implant microbiological models
A. Mombelli
University of Geneva, School of Dental Medicine, 19 rue Barthelemy-Menn, CH-1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.
To study the etiology and explore possibilities for the therapy of
implant-associated infections, investigators have developed and utilized
various in vitro models. Major contributions have come from the non-oral
medical field, where device-related infections can create life-threatening
situations. Microbiological models may include (i) models to study the
reaction of micro-organisms to the presence of implants, (ii) models to
study the reaction of implant-associated micro-organisms to antimicrobial
agents, and (iii) models to study the reaction of the host tissues to the
presence of implants contaminated with micro-organisms. In evaluating the
potential usefulness of these models for research in oral implantology, one
must consider common features as well as important differences between
implanted medical devices and oral implants. Although infections associated
with implantable medical devices and oral peri-implant infections share a
remarkable number of common features, there are also important differences
that need attention when findings from in vitro experiments are
extrapolated to clinical relevance.
