Assessment of a chair-side argon-based non-thermal plasma treatment on the surface characteristics and integration of dental implants with textured surfaces.

The biomechanical effects of a non-thermal plasma (NTP) treatment, suitable for use in a dental office, on the surface character and integration of a textured dental implant surface in a beagle dog model were evaluated. The experiment compared a control treatment, which presented an alumina-blasted/acid-etched (AB/AE) surface, to two experimental treatments, in which the same AB/AE surface also received NTP treatment for a period of 20 or 60 s per implant quadrant (PLASMA 20' and PLASMA 60' groups, respectively). The surface of each specimen was characterized by electron microscopy and optical interferometry, and surface energy and surface chemistry were determined prior to and after plasma treatment. Two implants of each type were then placed at six bilateral locations in 6 dogs, and allowed to heal for 2 or 4 weeks. Following sacrifice, removal torque was evaluated as a function of animal, implant surface and time in vivo in a mixed model ANOVA. Compared to the CONTROL group, PLASMA 20' and 60' groups presented substantially higher surface energy levels, lower amounts of adsorbed C species and significantly higher torque levels (p=.001). Result indicated that the NTP treatment increased the surface energy and the biomechanical fixation of textured-surface dental implants at early times in vivo.