Bone formation at titanium implants prepared with iso- and anisotropic surfaces of similar roughness: an in vivo study.

BACKGROUND

Implant surface topography influences the bone response after implantation. However, the importance of surface orientation is not known.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to investigate the bone tissue response and the stability of titanium implants prepared with isotropic and anisotropic surfaces of similar roughness.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 18 implants were divided into two groups and were inserted into the femurs of nine rabbits for 12 weeks. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used for the topographic description to verify that the two different surfaces were modified as intended. The stability of the implants was recorded by resonance frequency (RF) measurements at insertion and at time of removal, after which the implants were evaluated histomorphometrically.

RESULTS

RF measurements showed that implant stability increased with time. However, there was no significant difference between the two different surface modifications at insertion and after 12 weeks. The histomorphometric comparison revealed no statistically significant differences in regard to either bone-to-metal contact or bone area inside the threads.

CONCLUSION

Titanium implants prepared with isotropic and anisotropic surfaces of similar roughness integrate similarly to bone during the 3 months after implantation.