Biomechanical Evaluation of Nano-Zirconia Coatings on Ti-6Al-7Nb Implant Screws in Rabbit Tibias

The clinical success of dental implants can be improved by achieving optimum implant properties, such as their biomechanical and surface characteristics. Nano-structured coatings can play an important role in improving the implant surface. The purpose of the present study was to determine the most appropriate conditions for electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of nano-zirconia coatings on Ti-6Al-7Nb substrates and to evaluate the structural and biomechanical characteristics of these deposited coatings on the dental implants. EPD was used with different applied voltages and time periods to obtain a uniform layer of nano-zirconia on Ti-6Al-7Nb samples. The coated samples were weighed and the thickness of the product layer was measured. Surface analysis was performed by using optical microscopical examination, scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction phase analysis. For in vivo examination, 48 screw-designed implants (24 uncoated and 24 nano-zirconia coated) were implanted in both tibiae of 12 white New Zealand rabbits and evaluated biomechanically after 4- and 12-week healing intervals. Results revealed that the use of different conditions for EPD affected the final coating film properties. Increasing the applied voltage and coating time period increased the deposited nano-zirconia film thickness and weight. By selecting the appropriate coating conditions, and analyzing scanning electron microscopical examination and XRD patterns, this technique could produce a thin and continuous nano-zirconia layer with a uniform thickness of the Ti-6Al-7Nb samples. Mechanically, the nano-zirconia-coated implants showed a highly statistically significant difference in removal torque values, while histologically these coated implants enhanced and promoted osseointegration after 4 and 12 weeks of healing, compared with the uncoated ones. In conclusion, EPD is an effective technique for providing a high quality nano-zirconia coating film on dental implant surfaces. Moreover, the osseointegration of these coated dental implants is improved compared with that of uncoated ones.