Roughness and bonding strength of bioactive apatite layer on dental implants

This study examined the roughness and bonding strength of the chemical-made apatite layer in comparison with the titanium surface and the plasma-sprayed apatite. Commercially pure titanium plates were heated and chemically treated to deposit crystalline apatite on their surface. The roughness of the titanium surface of the original samples and the apatite surface was analyzed by a roughness surface tester. A scratch test was used to compare the adhesion of the chemical apatite layer to the titanium with the adhesion of a plasma-sprayed layer. A dense bone-like apatite layer was formed on the surface of the titanium by a simple chemical method. The surface roughness test showed that the chemical apatite coating increased the roughness of the samples. The scratch test showed that the bonding strength of the chemical-made apatite coatings to the titanium substrate was higher than the plasma-sprayed apatite coatings. The apatite layer produced by chemical treatment did not show a lower roughness than the titanium substrate. This chemical apatite layer also bonded tighter to the titanium than the plasma-sprayed apatite. This chemically made apatite coating is expected to provide a long-term implant-bone fixation.