Effects of hydrophilicity and fluoride surface modifications to titanium dental implants on early osseointegration: an in vivo study.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to investigate in vivo histomorphometric differences in initial bone response to modified sand-blasted, large-grit, acid-etched (modSLA), and fluoride-modified (F-mod) implant surfaces in rabbit tibia models.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to determine surface characteristics. Each of 3 live New Zealand white rabbits received an F-mod implant in one tibia and a modSLA implant in the other. After 1 week, the rabbits were killed, and the undecalcified histologic slides were prepared. Bone-to-implant contact (BIC) ratio and bone area (BA) were calculated in a defined area under a light microscope.

RESULTS

FE-SEM, CLSM, and XPS showed that the modSLA surface was significantly rougher than the F-mod, and that the F-mod surface had a very small amount of fluoride. However, despite these surface variances, histomorphometric analyses revealed no significant differences in either BIC or BA.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that the in vivo effects of increased hydrophilicity, when added to a titanium dental implant surface, on early bone response may be similar to the effects of surface fluoride treatment.