Antibacterial Effects of Curcumin Nanocrystals against Porphyromonas gingivalis Isolated from Patients with Implant Failure

Background. Despite their benefits, dental implants may sometimes fail for a diversity of causes; the most common reasons of failure are infection and bone loss. Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) bacteria show a major role in peri-implantitis infection and dental implant failure. Methods. In this study, the prevalence of P. gingivalis isolated from the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of fifteen Iranian patients with implant failure (more than 1/3 of the implant length), who had average oral and dental hygiene and no antibiotic use for at least one month, was determined. Moreover, the antimicrobial effects of curcumin nanocrystals against isolated P. gingivalis were investigated. The collected samples from patients were transferred to a microbiology laboratory to culture. The presence of P. gingivalis in the culture media was confirmed using a trypsin reagent test. An isolate from a patient with the highest colony count was selected to evaluate the antibacterial effects of curcumin nanoparticles. The inhibition zone diameter, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined. Results. Out of fifteen patients, eight (53.33%) were positive for the presence of P. gingivalis. The results of the microbial tests showed that curcumin nanoparticles had an MIC of 6.25 µg/mL and an MBC of 12.5 µg/mL. Conclusions. The use of curcumin nanoparticles may control the bacterial infection around the implant.