Sandblasted, acid etched and UV irradiated titanium surface for dental implants: In vitro and in vivo analysis

In the implant dentistry field, rehabilitation through osseointegrated implants have been a huge advance, leading to excellent outcomes. Biomaterial integration to bone tissue determines the implant clinical success and the recovery of lost functionality, depending on clinical and engineering factors and patient whole health. Because of this, it is important the development of new strategies to achieve higher success rates and to decrease the healing period of osseointegrated implants. The present study addresses the UV irradiation effect on superficial characteristics of sandblasted and acid etched titanium discs. Furthermore, the irradiation protocol with the best outcomes was selected and applied to titanium implants placed in vivo in order to study the influence of the UV irradiation over the surrounding tissue. The results showed that UVC, but not UVA, enhanced surface hydrophilicity significantly. After 24 h of exposure to UVC, a superhydrophilic surface was obtained, with higher protein adsorption capability. New bone formation occurred for all the implants considered, with no detriment of surrounding tissue density and removal torque for UVC irradiated group. Further studies are needed to assess whether this improved surface promotes the growth of bone tissue around the implant.