SPECTROSCOPIC INVESTIGATIONS ON THE POSSIBLE ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF DIFFERENTLY SURFACE-TREATED SILICON NITRIDES FOR DENTAL APPLICATIONS

Periodontal diseases are multifactorial infections elicited by a complex of bacterial species that interact with host tissues and cells. One of the most important and studied cluster is the “red complex”, which consisted of three specific bacterial species: Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia. The present study focuses on Raman analyses of colonies of these members and on the characterization of different superficial treatments of silicon nitride that may exhibit antibacterial properties thus promoting their use in dentistry.