Enhanced Bone Apposition to Microrough Titanium Surfaces

Introduction: It has recently been reported that machined and microrough Neodent titanium (Ti) implants have good production standards and show no discrepancy on surface composition when compared to Nobel Biocare machined and oxidized Ti implants (Castilho et al., Braz J Phys 3B, 36:1004-1008, 2006). Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of surface microtopography of Neodent implants placed in dog's mandible on important parameters of bone repair. Methods: Thirty-two screw-typed Ti implants were used in this study. Mandibular premolars were extracted in 8 dogs, and after 12 weeks, 2 control machined (Neodent Titamax, Brazil) and 2 microrough implants (Neodent Titamax Porous, Brazil) were placed in each animal. Ground sections of the implants and surrounding tissues were prepared from biopsies taken at 3 and 8 weeks post-implantation and stained with Stevenel's blue and Alizarin red. Histometric measurements of bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and bone area between threads (BABT) were performed. Data were analyzed statistically using two-way ANOVA. Results: While at 3 weeks microrough implants exhibited significantly more BIC than machined ones (55±12.5% and 35.6±15%, p<.05), no significant difference in such parameter was detected at 8 weeks (51.2±21% and 48.6±18.1%, p>.05). There were no significant differences in BABT between the implants. Microrough surfaces had a more favorable histological outcome at short time intervals than machined implants by promoting enhanced contact osteogenesis, mainly at the bone marrow level. Conclusion: These data indicate that surface microtopography supports contact osteogenesis at an early period of tissue healing in the bone marrow.