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Polymethyl methacrylate-hydroxyapatite: A viable non-metallic alternative for dental implants? Comprehensive surface
Huda R Qaid1,2, Mohammed A Aljunaid2,3, Rini D Ridwan4
1Faculty of Dental Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia.
Objectives:
The surface characteristics of implants made from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and hydroxyapatite (HA) were evaluated in this study.
Methods:
In vitro experiments were carried out using four types of screw implants fabricated from different materials: PMMA-HA, PMMA coated with HA (PMMA-HAc), PMMA, and sandblasted, large-grit, acid-etched titanium (SLA-Ti). Several characterization procedures were performed in this study. X-ray diffraction was applied to verify the incorporation of HA into the PMMA matrix by analyzing the crystalline structure and phase composition. Atomic force microscopy was used to measure surface roughness. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) visualized pore sizes in detail. Contact angles were measured to evaluate the wettability of the materials.
Results:
SLA-Ti had the highest crystallinity value (90 %). By contrast, the polymer-based samples exhibited semicrystalline properties, with 22 % for PMMA-HAc, 16 % for PMMA-HA, and 12 % for PMMA. SLA-Ti also exhibited the greatest surface roughness (2.020 nm), followed by PMMA-HAc (220 nm), PMMA-HA (128 nm), and PMMA (108 nm), which had noticeably smoother surfaces. PMMA-HAc had the largest average pore diameter (141.07 ± 217.56 μm), with progressively smaller pores observed in PMMA-HA (30.86 ± 24.13 μm), PMMA (18.30 ± 9.58 μm), and SLA-Ti (3.97 ± 1.05 μm). Wettability analysis showed that PMMA-HA exhibited the most hydrophilic behavior, with the lowest contact angle (47.28°). The other materials exhibited lower hydrophilicity, with contact angles of 74.53° for PMMA-HAc, 75.70° for PMMA, and 84.36° for Ti.
Conclusions:
The surface characteristics of dental implants composed of PMMA-HA, PMMA-HAc, PMMA, and SLA-Ti were investigated in this study to assess their potential for creating a favorable environment for osseointegration.
