Surface modifications induced by ns and sub-ps excimer laser pulses on titanium implant material.

Medical implants used in oral and orthopaedic surgery are mainly produced from titanium. Their biological behaviour, e.g. osseointegration, essentially depends on both the chemical composition and the morphology of the surface. Modifications achieved by excimer laser irradiation of titanium samples were investigated in order to improve their surface characteristics so as to facilitate biointegration. To enlarge the effective interfacial area of bone-implant contact, holes were ablated by laser pulses of ns or sub-ps length. During ns ablation, crown-like projecting rims formed around the borders of the holes. Ultra-short (0.5ps) KrF excimer laser pulses were successfully applied to avoid these undesirable formations. Since a smooth dental implant surface is necessary to maintain a healthy connection with the soft tissues, laser polishing of samples was investigated, too. Irradiation with a series of ns laser pulses resulted in effective smoothing, as measured with atomic force microscope. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the laser-polished titanium surface revealed that laser treatment led to a decrease of the surface contamination and in thickening of the oxide layer. X-ray diffraction measurements demonstrated that the original alpha-titanium crystal structure was preserved.

[1]  G. N. Raikar,et al.  Effect of surface treatment on unalloyed titanium implants: spectroscopic analyses. , 1998, Journal of biomedical materials research.

[2]  R. Meffert,et al.  Dental implants: a review. , 1992, Journal of periodontology.

[3]  M. Quirynen,et al.  The influence of titanium abutment surface roughness on plaque accumulation and gingivitis: short-term observations. , 1996, The International journal of oral & maxillofacial implants.

[4]  E P Lautenschlager,et al.  Titanium and titanium alloys as dental materials. , 1993, International dental journal.

[5]  J. Lausmaa,et al.  Interactions between human whole blood and modified TiO2-surfaces: influence of surface topography and oxide thickness on leukocyte adhesion and activation. , 2001, Biomaterials.

[6]  C. Gemmell,et al.  Platelet interactions with titanium: modulation of platelet activity by surface topography. , 2001, Biomaterials.

[7]  S. J. Marshall,et al.  Surface analysis of an original Brånemark implant and three related clones. , 1992, The International journal of oral & maxillofacial implants.

[8]  T. Albrektsson,et al.  A 1-year follow-up of implants of differing surface roughness placed in rabbit bone. , 1997, The International journal of oral & maxillofacial implants.

[9]  Andrey A. Voevodin,et al.  Design of a Ti/TiC/DLC functionally gradient coating based on studies of structural transitions in Ti–C thin films , 1997 .

[10]  G Schultes,et al.  Scanning electron microscopical analysis of laser-treated titanium implant surfaces--a comparative study. , 2000, Biomaterials.

[11]  J. Patscheider,et al.  Nanocomposite TiC/a–C:H hard coatings deposited by reactive PVD , 2000 .

[12]  J. Pireaux,et al.  Analysis of titanium dental implants after failure of osseointegration: combined histological, electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy approach. , 1998, Journal of biomedical materials research.

[13]  Michael D. Perry,et al.  Material effects in ultra-short pulse laser drilling of metals , 1999 .

[14]  D Buser,et al.  Influence of surface characteristics on bone integration of titanium implants. A histomorphometric study in miniature pigs. , 1991, Journal of biomedical materials research.

[15]  S. Fare',et al.  The effect of surface roughness on early in vivo plaque colonization on titanium. , 1997, Journal of periodontology.

[16]  D. Cochran,et al.  A comparison of endosseous dental implant surfaces. , 1999, Journal of periodontology.

[17]  D. Williams,et al.  Implants in dental and maxillofacial surgery. , 1981, Biomaterials.

[18]  H. Larjava,et al.  Expression of Fibronectin and Integrins in Cultured Periodontal Ligament Epithelial Cells , 1992, Journal of dental research.

[19]  E. Hunziker,et al.  Effect of surface topology on the osseointegration of implant materials in trabecular bone. , 1995, Journal of biomedical materials research.

[20]  Hans Kurt Tönshoff,et al.  Microdrilling of metals with ultrashort laser pulses , 2000 .

[21]  Sándor Szatmári,et al.  Simplified laser system for the generation of 60 fs pulses at 248 nm , 1988 .

[22]  B. Boyan,et al.  Titanium surface roughness alters responsiveness of MG63 osteoblast‐like cells to 1α,25‐(OH)2D3 , 1998 .

[23]  P. Simon,et al.  Efficient submicron processing of metals with femtosecond UV pulses , 2003 .

[24]  R. G. Craig Restorative dental materials , 1971 .

[25]  T. Albrektsson,et al.  Characteristics of the surface oxides on turned and electrochemically oxidized pure titanium implants up to dielectric breakdown: the oxide thickness, micropore configurations, surface roughness, crystal structure and chemical composition. , 2002, Biomaterials.

[26]  P. Branemark,et al.  Osseointegrated titanium fixtures in the treatment of edentulousness. , 1983, Biomaterials.

[27]  Håkan Mattsson,et al.  Surface spectroscopic characterization of titanium implant materials , 1990 .

[28]  D. Bäuerle Laser Processing and Chemistry , 1996 .

[29]  P. Corkum,et al.  Influence of laser parameters and material properties on micro drilling with femtosecond laser pulses , 1999 .

[30]  J E Lemons,et al.  Dental implant biomaterials. , 1990, Journal of the American Dental Association.

[31]  Thomas F. George,et al.  Laser-induced oxidation of metals: state of the art , 1997 .

[32]  Tomas Albrektsson,et al.  Structural aspects of the interface between tissue and titanium implants. , 1983, The Journal of prosthetic dentistry (Print).

[33]  I. Mihailescu,et al.  Crown-like structure development on titanium exposed to multipulse Nd:YAG laser irradiation , 2002 .

[34]  Á. D. Pino,et al.  Oxidation of titanium through Nd:YAG laser irradiation , 2002 .

[35]  Z. Pászti,et al.  Surface treatment of screw shaped titanium dental implants by high intensity laser pulses , 2002 .

[36]  A. Ameen.,et al.  The surface analysis of implant materials. 1. The surface composition of a titanium dental implant material. , 1993, Clinical oral implants research.

[37]  S. Hansson,et al.  Surface analysis of four dental implant systems. , 1993, The International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants.

[38]  K. Baba,et al.  Spectroscopic studies of three osseointegrated implants. , 1998, Journal of dentistry.