Bone tissue response to plasma-nitrided titanium implant surfaces

A current goal of dental implant research is the development of titanium (Ti) surfaces to improve osseointegration. Plasma nitriding treatments generate surfaces that favor osteoblast differentiation, a key event to the process of osteogenesis. Based on this, it is possible to hypothesize that plasma-nitrided Ti implants may positively impact osseointegration. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo bone response to Ti surfaces modified by plasma-nitriding treatments. Material and Methods Surface treatments consisted of 20% N2 and 80% H2, 450°C and 1.5 mbar during 1 h for planar and 3 h for hollow cathode. Untreated surface was used as control. Ten implants of each surface were placed into rabbit tibiae and 6 weeks post-implantation they were harvested for histological and histomorphometric analyses. Results Bone formation was observed in contact with all implants without statistically significant differences among the evaluated surfaces in terms of bone-to-implant contact, bone area between threads, and bone area within the mirror area. Conclusion Our results indicate that plasma nitriding treatments generate Ti implants that induce similar bone response to the untreated ones. Thus, as these treatments improve the physico-chemical properties of Ti without affecting its biocompatibility, they could be combined with modifications that favor bone formation in order to develop new implant surfaces.