Influence of bioactive material coating of Ti dental implant surfaces on early healing and osseointegration of bone

The dental implant surface type is one of many factors that determine the long-term clinical success of implant restoration. The implant surface consists of bioinert titanium oxide, but recently coatings with bioactive calcium phosphate ceramics have often been used on Ti implant surfaces. Bio-active surfaces are known to significantly improve the healing time of the human bone around the inserted dental implant. In this study, we characterized two types of coated implant surfaces by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, and surface roughness testing. The effect of surface modification on early bone healing was then tested by using the rabbit tibia model to measure bone-to-implant contact ratios and removal torque values. These modified surfaces showed different characteristics in terms of surface topography, chemical composition, and surface roughness. However, no significant differences were found in the bone-to-implant contact and the resistance to removal torque between these surfaces. Both the coated implants may induce similar favorable early bone responses in terms of the early functioning and healing of dental implants even though they differed in their surface characteristics.