Titanium implant surface roughness after different implantoplasty protocols: A laboratory study

To compare the surface roughness of sandblasted, large grit, acid-etched (SLA) surfaced titanium discs, after implantoplasty (IP) with different combinations of rotating instruments without or with the subsequent use of a silicone polisher.

Titanium discs (n = 12 per group) with an SLA surface were treated with the following IP protocols: (1) Tungsten carbide bur sequence from company 1 (Komet Dental) without or with polishing (P) with a silicone polisher (Brownie®), (2) tungsten carbide bur sequence from company 2 (Hager & Meisinger GmbH) without or with P, and (3) diamond bur sequence (125, 40, 15-μm grit) without or with P. Pristine turned (T) and SLA titanium discs were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. Surface roughness measurements were taken with a contact profilometer rendering R_a and R_z values.

All IP protocols, even without P, resulted in significantly reduced surface roughness compared to the SLA group. The tungsten carbide bur protocols, even without P, resulted in a surface roughness similar to or significantly lower than that in the T group in terms of R_a and R_z , respectively. IP with the diamond bur sequence resulted in a significantly rougher surface compared to that achieved with the carbide burs. In all IP groups, P with a silicone polisher resulted in a significantly smoother surface.

IP with dedicated tungsten carbide burs without or with the subsequent use of a silicone polisher resulted in a surface roughness similar to or significantly lower than that of commercially available turned surfaces. IP with a diamond bur sequence required additional polishing to achieve a comparable surface roughness to that of commercially available turned surfaces.