Properties of titanium dental implants produced by electro-discharge compaction.

Highly porous dental implants of a cylindrical shape were fabricated from commercial grade titanium REP-atomized powders by EDC. They were intended to have the maximum porosity for maximum osseointegration, but to maintain the minimum mechanical properties functionally required. Two level full factorial experiments were conducted with respect to the sample weight, capacitance, input energy and electrode configuration. All samples were X-rayed prior to tests to ascertain the presence, extent and distribution of internal macroscopic voids. Torque and compression tests were conducted to evaluate the yield or ultimate strengths (34-90 cm N and 205-502 MPa, respectively). These results indicate that macroscopic void-free, highly porous implants can be fabricated.