Micro- and nano-textured, hydrophilic and bioactive titanium dental implants

The aim of the present research is to obtain a multiscale topography (micro- and nano-texture) and a high hydroxylation degree on the surface of a dental implant, in order to get advantages for bone integration. Moreover, a specific protocol for verifying the mechanical resistance to friction during implantation of a modified implant surface was developed. An innovative and patented chemical surface treatment was successfully integrated with a traditional dual acid etching process for dental implants. The result is a multiscale surface topography (a nano-texture overlapped on a micro-porosity), together with a significant increase in the surface hydroxyl groups. The treatment is time and cost effective and it allows getting peculiar surface properties. The treated Ti implants are bioactive (they induce hydroxyapatite precipitation during soaking in simulated body fluid) and they show increased wettability and protein absorption ability, compared to the traditional dual-etched implants. Modified implants do not require particular storage conditions and can be sterilized by conventional techniques. An innovative protocol for the evaluation of the surface resistance to implantation friction was developed and it allowed verifying that both traditional dual-etched and innovative Ti surfaces are able to sustain implantation friction without surface damages. Innovative surfaces with multiscale topography (micro- and nano-texture), high hydroxylation degree and protein adsorption, bioactive and hydrophilic behavior, and high resistance to friction during implantation were developed. An effective method for comparing the resistance to friction of the surfaces of dental implants is proposed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.