Identifying the Issue
- Current titanium implants, though biocompatible, require surface treatments to improve early-stage bone integration and also to prevent bacterial adhesion causing conditions like peri-implantitis.
- High cost and complexity of typical implant surface treatments limit its accessibility, especially in lower economic settings, warranting the need for simpler and cost-effective methods
Objective of the Research
- Develop a low-cost surface treatment to improve implant to bone integration and minimize bacterial colonisation.
- Create a technique that’s feasible in clinical settings without complex equipment.
Who should read this?
- Dental and orthopaedic implant manufacturers
- Biomedical engineers
- Dental surgeons and clinicians
- Medical device R&D professionals
Solution
A dual alkali (NaOH and NH₄OH) etching was performed at room temperature on titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V). This treatment technique improved surface roughness and chemistry and the etched samples showed better osseointegration and bacterial resistance.
Key Features and Benefits
- Etching performed at room temperature, without the need for any special equipment
- Compatible with existing implant materials (Grade 5 titanium)
- Cost-effective, scalable, and clinically feasible
- Improved bone integration and promotes healing
- Minimises bacterial colonization
Impact
- 7× reduction in bacterial adhesion vs. as received grade 5 titanium
- Good hydroxyapatite formation within 1 week of soaking in SBF that proves ability for early-stage bone formation
- In-vivo studies show improved early osseointegration in 1 and 4 weeks of implantation
- Technique suitable for adoption in a clinical setting
Team
- Sushmita Chettri (first author) (SSSIHL)
- Deepa Seetharaman (Corresponding author) (SSSIHL)
- Wei Zhu (Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences)
- Huasi Zhou (Uppsala University, Sweden)
- Håkan Engqvist (Uppsala University, Sweden)
- Wei Xia (Uppsala University, Sweden)
Title of paper: “Dual alkali etching for osseointegration and reduced bacterial adhesion: a feasible alternative to SLA“
Read Paper Here: https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ma01223b
