A Self-Powered, Cold-Responsive Pyroelectric Biointerface Restores Implant Osseoperception and Osseointegration

The lack of sensory feedback (osseoperception) in dental implants compromises long-term therapeutic outcomes and patient quality of life. Although electrical stimulation offers a pathway for neuroregulation, its clinical utility is constrained by the invasiveness of wired systems and the dependence on external power sources. To address these challenges, we engineered PyroTi, a pyroelectric barium titanate nanostructured coating on titanium implants. Mechanistically, this biointerface transduces cold thermal stimuli into electrical potentials to activate the cold-sensitive transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) ion channel. This activation significantly amplifies intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) influx, thereby driving neuronal differentiation in PC12 cells. Crucially, this enhanced neurogenic activity upregulates the secretion of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which subsequently promotes the osteogenic differentiation of pre-osteoblasts via paracrine signaling. In a rat maxillary implantation model, routine cold water intake successfully triggered the pyroelectric effect, resulting in significantly improved osseointegration and restored physiological sensory sensitivity, as evidenced by behavioral pain threshold assessments. This work demonstrates a non-invasive, self-powered strategy that harnesses physiological temperature variations to reconstruct the neuro-osseous interface, simultaneously restoring osseoperception and osseointegration in dental implants.