Surface Modification Of Titanium Implants By Grit-blasting With Novel Bioactive Glasses

Abstract

Introduction: The survival of dental implants depends on osseointegration. Modifications to the implant surface are attractive for promoting the success of the implant. Abrading the surface of the implant with bioactive glass is an attractive option for improving the speed of osseointegration. Aims: To develop a bioactive glass that has the ability to enhance the surface roughness of the implant by embedding particles into the surface and to investigate the effect of grit blast parameters on the removal of the titanium from the surface. Methods: Three glasses based on SiO2-CaO-Na2O-P2O5-CaF2 were synthesized by a melt quench technique. The glasses were characterised and investigated for their bioactivity. Titanium discs were abraded with coarse glass particles by using a grit blast technique with different parameters, such as, distance, air pressure and speed. The depth, width of the abraded line and surface roughness (Ra) were measured by light profilometer. The distribution of the glasses on the titanium surface was measured by SEM-EDX. The biocompatibility of the abraded discs was tested in vitro using MC3T3-E1 cell line. Results: All glasses exhibited an amorphous structure with varied bioactivity. Changing the abrasion parameters influenced the amount of titanium removed and the surface coverage. The harder the glass the lower the amount of titanium removed and the wider the width of the abraded area. The Ra was significantly increased from 0.1μm to 1.6μm. The SEM-EDX analysis confirmed that the glasses were widely distributed and a higher coverage was seen with the harder glass. The abraded discs showed good biocompatibility in vitro. Conclusions: The designed compositions were successfully modifying the surface of the titanium. They are abrasive enough to significantly embed into the titanium surface by using the grit blast technique and increase their surface roughness. TheIntroduction: The survival of dental implants depends on osseointegration. Modifications to the implant surface are attractive for promoting the success of the implant. Abrading the surface of the implant with bioactive glass is an attractive option for improving the speed of osseointegration. Aims: To develop a bioactive glass that has the ability to enhance the surface roughness of the implant by embedding particles into the surface and to investigate the effect of grit blast parameters on the removal of the titanium from the surface. Methods: Three glasses based on SiO2-CaO-Na2O-P2O5-CaF2 were synthesized by a melt quench technique. The glasses were characterised and investigated for their bioactivity. Titanium discs were abraded with coarse glass particles by using a grit blast technique with different parameters, such as, distance, air pressure and speed. The depth, width of the abraded line and surface roughness (Ra) were measured by light profilometer. The distribution of the glasses on the titanium surface was measured by SEM-EDX. The biocompatibility of the abraded discs was tested in vitro using MC3T3-E1 cell line. Results: All glasses exhibited an amorphous structure with varied bioactivity. Changing the abrasion parameters influenced the amount of titanium removed and the surface coverage. The harder the glass the lower the amount of titanium removed and the wider the width of the abraded area. The Ra was significantly increased from 0.1μm to 1.6μm. The SEM-EDX analysis confirmed that the glasses were widely distributed and a higher coverage was seen with the harder glass. The abraded discs showed good biocompatibility in vitro. Conclusions: The designed compositions were successfully modifying the surface of the titanium. They are abrasive enough to significantly embed into the titanium surface by using the grit blast technique and increase their surface roughness. The glass abraded discs show both good bioactivity and biocompatibility in vitro.