Histomorphometrical and mechanical evaluation of titanium plasma-spray-coated implants placed in the cortical bone of goats

The aim of this study was to investigate the biological and mechanical response of bone to titanium plasma-sprayed implants of different roughnesses. Three types of titanium plasma-spray coating were applied to beam-shaped implants: Ti2, Ti3, and Ti4, with a Ra of 16.5, 21.4, and 37.9 microm, respectively. An Al2O3 grit-blasted implant (Ti-un) with a Ra of 4.7 microm was used as a control. In total, 72 implants were inserted in the tibial cortical bone of nine adult female goats. These implants were evaluated histologically and mechanically 3 months after implantation. At the end of the experiment, of the 72 inserted implants, two implants (one Ti2 and one Ti4) were lost. Histological evaluation of the other retrieved implants revealed a uniform bone reaction for all implants. The unloaded plasma-spray coatings showed no signs of delamination at the implant-coating interface. Occasionally, particles of the Ti4 coating broke free and were found near the implant. Histomorphometry revealed no difference in bone contact for the different implants (P > 0.05). Furthermore, the push-out test showed no significant difference (P > 0.05). Linear regression showed no interaction between the push-out values and the roughness values (r = 0.5). On the basis of these results, it may be concluded that the used surface roughnesses did not lead to differences in bone response or mechanical attachment strength in goat cortical bone.