The effect of heat treatment on bone-bonding ability of alkali-treated titanium

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bone-bonding ability of alkali-treated titanium with and without heat treatment. Three groups of smooth titanium plate were prepared: control, or pure titanium, alkali-treated titanium, and alkali- and heat-treated titanium. The plates were inserted transcortically into the proximal metaphyses of bilateral rabbit tibiae. The tensile failure loads between implants and bones were measured at two time intervals using a detaching test. The tensile failure loads of the alkali- and heat-treated titanium group were 2.71 and 4.13 kgf, at 8 and 16 weeks, respectively, and significantly higher than those of the other titanium groups. Histological examination revealed that alkali- and heat-treated titanium was in direct contact with bone, but the other titanium groups had a thin intervening fibrous tissue. This result indicated that the alkali-treated titanium without heat treatment had no bone-bonding ability due to the unstable reactive surface layer of alkali-treated titanium. In conclusion, both alkali and heat treatment are essential for preparing bioactive titanium and this bioactive titanium is thought to be useful for orthopedic implants with cementless fixation.