Interface Wettability Transition‐Driven Drug Release and Dual‐Phase Functionalization in Implant Abutment

ABSTRACT Dental implant abutments face dual clinical challenges of early‐stage biological contamination and late‐stage inflammatory microenvironments. To address the issues, this study developed a smart drug‐release coating based on a superhydrophobic‐wettable transition mechanism. The coating on the abutment surface was constructed by hydrophobic micelles self‐assembling on mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with berberine. In the early stage, the superhydrophobic surface can effectively resist the adhesion of proteins and bacteria. With protein deposition, this process induced a transition of the superhydrophobic surface to a hydrophilic state, leading to a sigmoidal drug release profile that passively triggered sustained microenvironment regulation in the later stage. In vivo experiments demonstrated that this coating not only had strong immediate antibacterial efficacy (22.5‐fold enhancement) but also significantly reduced inflammation and promoted soft tissue closure. This work provides a sequential functionalization strategy of “early‐antifouling‐enabled late active regulation” for abutments, offering a potential solution to prevent peri‑implant inflammation and soft tissue dehiscence.