In vivo performance of a modified CSTi dental implant coating.

Cylindrical dental implants coated with cancellous structured titanium (CSTi) were studied in a dog model. CSTi-2-coated and hydroxyapatite-coated (HA) implants were placed in 8 mongrel dogs. The porosity of the CSTi-2 coating was 9% less than that of the previously studied CSTi-1, resulting in greatly improved mechanical strength and cosmetic appearance. A slightly lower level of bone ingrowth was observed for CSTi-2 than for CSTi-1. However, the in vivo attachment strength of the CSTi-2 coating was comparable both to CSTi-1 and to an HA-coated control after 8 weeks. Measured porosity is technique dependent; digital analysis of in vitro samples yielded higher porosity values than in vivo histology cross sections.