A polymethacrylate-silica composite material for dental implants.

A study has been carried out on the structure and surface texture of a new dental implant material composed of silica microspheres (3 or 5 wt%) and poly(methyl methacrylate). A recently developed composite material composed of vitreous carbon microballoons and poly(methyl methacrylate) has proven highly successful in clinical use, but the black color presents aesthetic problems at the gingival margin. The new material was developed in order to reproduce the many desirable qualities of the vitreous carbon-polymethacrylate composite, while omitting the black color. Square wafers (10 mm X 10 mm X1 mm) were studied, with the surface sandblasted in half of the specimens. Light microscopy revealed an even spacing of spherical configurations throughout the material. Scanning electron microscope studies revealed a finely porous surface with many large craters in the sandblasted specimens.