Bone regeneration associated with nontherapeutic and therapeutic surface coatings for dental implants in osteoporosis

Oral implantology is considered as the treatment of choice for replacing missing teeth in elderly people. However, implant complications may occur in patients with osteoporosis. The pathogenesis underlying osteoporosis is due to an alteration in bone cell response to hormonal, nutritional, and aging factors. For such challenging situations, improved bone regeneration has been shown around dental implants for certain surface modifications. These modifications include coatings of titanium implants with calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics. Surface coating developments also allow for the addition of organic biomolecules, like growth factors, into the inorganic coatings that increase the bone formation process at the bone-implant interface. The application of therapeutic-based coatings is becoming a rapidly growing research field of interest. CaP-coated implants have the ability to incorporate anti-osteoporotic drugs, which then can be locally released over time from an implant surface in a controlled manner. Thus, it can be anticipated that nontherapeutic and/or therapeutic coated implants can significantly increase low bone density as well as improve impaired bone regeneration in osteoporosis. This review aims to provide a thorough understanding of the underlying mechanisms for impaired bone regeneration around dental implants in osteoporosis. Secondly, the review will focus on biological interactions and beneficial role of the surface-coated (i.e., nontherapeutics and therapeutics) bone implants in osteoporotic bone tissue.