Surface modification of multipass caliber-rolled Ti alloy with dexamethasone-loaded graphene for dental applications.

Titanium (Ti) and its alloys with a high mechanical strength and a small diameter can be effectively exploited for minimally invasive dental implantation. Here, we report a multipass caliber-rolled Ti alloy of Ti13Nb13Zr (MPCR-TNZ) with a high mechanical strength and strong fatigue characteristics. For further dental applications, MPCR-TNZ was surface-modified with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and loaded with osteogenic dexamethasone (Dex) via π-π stacking on the graphitic domain of RGO. The Dex-loaded RGO-MPCR-TNZ (Dex/RGO-MPCR-TNZ) resulted in significantly enhanced growth and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells into osteoblasts, which was confirmed by Alizarin red staining, alkaline phosphatase activity test, immunocytochemistry, and real-time PCR. Moreover, we could confirm the feasibility of Dex/RGO-MPCR-TNZ from the implantation test of a prototype of a dental implant to an artificial bone block for clinical dental applications.