Abstract
The use of dental implants has been increasing in the last years; however, their chemical composition is an important issue due to the fact that the implant surface may suffer a corrosion process, allowing the possibility of ions being released and resulting in a possible biological response. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the morphological analysis of the surface and chemical composition of different implant types through an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) system. Eight dental implant models from different manufacturers were analyzed using variable pressure scanning electron microscopy (VP-SEM) and EDX. The chemical composition and general characteristics of the structural morphology in different dental implant surfaces were analyzed randomly. Nitrogen was identified in two samples, while zirconium was observed in only one model. Aluminium was identified in five samples ranging between 4% and 11% of its composition. Regarding the morphological characteristics, two samples from the same manufacturer had the most irregular surface designed to increase the contact surface, while the others revealed their surfaces with roughness at the micrometric level with no major irregularities. In conclusion, despite the morphology of implants being similar in most of the analyzed samples, more than 50% of them, which are brands of implants available on the market, showed aluminium on the implant surface. Finally, STR (Bone level, Roxolid), DENT (Superline) and NEO (Helix GM) could be considered, among the analyzed samples, the safest implants from the point of view that no aluminium was detected in their chemical composition.
Highlights
The clinical indication and use of dental implants have been increasing in recent years [1,2], mainly due to improved knowledge and evidence associated with this treatment, the high level of patient satisfaction, its high success rate and the lower associated costs [3,4]
Coatings 2020, 10, 882 oxygen in the chemical composition of dental implants, observing in some cases even carbon, which are not considered as harmful elements [8,9,10]
The dental implants analyzed were removed from its original packaging immediately prior to the three-dimensional surface analysis using variable-pressure scanning electron microscopy (VP-SEM) (Hitachi SU3500, Tokyo, Japan)
Summary
The clinical indication and use of dental implants have been increasing in recent years [1,2], mainly due to improved knowledge and evidence associated with this treatment, the high level of patient satisfaction, its high success rate and the lower associated costs [3,4]. The success of treatment with dental implants depends on osseointegration [5], which has been defined as a direct and functional connection between a bone and an artificial implant. In this sense, the microscopic characteristics of dental implants, mainly chemical composition and surface treatment, can influence the osseointegration process [6]. These inorganic impurities of the implant surface may suffer a corrosion process [17], allowing ions releasing into the surrounding tissue [7], and in conjunction with their nature, it may result in a biological response that can be critical [18,19] and the exposure to unknown risks [15,20]
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