The studies have been carried out on dental implant system to shorten the healing period through modifying implant surface. Nano-patterned surface has been attempted to promote cell differentiation of osteoblast-like cells. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop dental implant surface with combined micro- and nano-patterned (MNP) surface and evaluate biological properties of it for dental implant application.
The MNP implants were fabricated on the sandblasted with large grit and acid etched titanium (ASTM grade 4) implants (TSIII SA®, Osstem, 3.5 × 5 mm) using anodic oxidation. The nanostructures were uniformly formed on the implant surface. The mean pore sizes of nanostructure were about 30 nm and 70 nm.
The biological evaluation showed that the MNP implants resulted in higher level of ALP activity, mineralization and osseointegration. Also, from the result of FE-SEM observation after removal torque test, it was evident that the morphology was preserved without change in nanostructure. The results were due to the nano-structure, which despite having relatively low mechanical properties, formed inside the micro structure and therefore exposed less during the torque force application. Such results showed that MNP surface can maintain shape of the nanotube even during the implant placement and such MNP implant will be suitable for dental implant.