By investigating the dental implant’s surface structure down to nanoscale, University of Gothenburg’s scientists have proposed a process that could enhance the technology used to substitute lost teeth and thereby reduce the healing period for patients.
Johanna Löberg
Johanna Löberg, working at the Department of Chemistry of University of Gothenburg, has suggested a method that illustrates the topography of the implant from micrometre to nanometre scale and enables theoretical assessments of fixing the bone by various surface topographies. The process can be employed to advance new dental implants to maximize the characteristics for enhanced bone development and healing.
In titanium dental implants, titanium used is coated with a thin layer of naturally produced oxide, whose properties determine the quality of the bone implant. Löberg has investigated the conductivity of this oxide and observed that a mild increase in conductivity produces earlier deposition of minerals and higher cell response, which are vital for formation of new bone.
Löberg stated that modifying the implant’s conductivity and improving its active surface at nanoscale affect the biomechanics of the body, resulting in reduced healing time. The surface of currently available implants has various roughness levels, from the superimposed nanostructures to the thread. Fixing the implant in the bone generates biomechanical stimulation on the bone tissue, resulting in the development of new bone.
Test results of the commercial implant, OsseoSpeedÓ, demonstrate a mild increase in conductivity for the oxide and an interchange between fluoride and hydroxide on the oxide’s surface. Surfaces with precise nanostructure have a huge active area and react swiftly to the deposition of bone-developing minerals.
Mölndal-based Astra Tech and the University of Gothenburg have partnered for the project.