Abstract
Plasma-treatment of oral implant biomaterials prior to clinical insertion is envisaged as a potential surface modification method for enhanced implant healing. To investigate a putative effect of plasma-functionalized implant biomaterials on oral tissue cells, this investigation examined the response of alveolar bone osteoblasts and gingival fibroblasts to clinically established zirconia- and titanium-based implant surfaces for bone and soft tissue integration. The biomaterials were either functionalized with oxygen-plasma in a plasma-cleaner or left untreated as controls, and were characterized in terms of topography and wettability. For the biological evaluation, the cell adhesion, morphogenesis, metabolic activity and proliferation were examined, since these parameters are closely interconnected during cell-biomaterial interaction. The results revealed that plasma-functionalization increased implant surface wettability. The magnitude of this effect thereby depended on surface topography parameters and initial wettability of the biomaterials. Concerning the cell response, plasma-functionalization of smooth surfaces affected initial fibroblast morphogenesis, whereas osteoblast morphology on rough surfaces was mainly influenced by topography. The plasma- and topography-induced differential cell morphologies were however not strong enough to trigger a change in proliferation behaviour. Hence, the results indicate that oxygen plasma-functionalization represents a possible cytocompatible implant surface modification method which can be applied for tailoring implant surface wettability.
Highlights
Plasma-treatment of oral implant biomaterials prior to clinical insertion is envisaged as a potential surface modification method for enhanced implant healing
Regarding the roughened surfaces for alveolar bone osteoblasts (AO) culture, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images revealed that the microporous aluminatoughened zirconia (ATZ)- and yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (Y-TZP)-based ZircaPore surfaces differed significantly from the electrochemically anodized titanium discs
No differences in surface topography between plasma-functionalized and control surfaces were detected by SEM analysis
Summary
Plasma-treatment of oral implant biomaterials prior to clinical insertion is envisaged as a potential surface modification method for enhanced implant healing. In contrast to orthopaedic bone implants, oral implants need to integrate into the surrounding bone and into the adjacent soft tissues to achieve a long-term clinical implant s urvival[1,2] This is due to the fact that two components are necessary for an implant-supported replacement of teeth: (1) an endosseous implant part placed into the jawbone and (2) a transgingival part piercing the oral mucosa and allowing for the anchorage of the prosthetic restoration, such as a c rown[2,3]. The optimization of the tissue integration process via modification of topographical and physicochemical surface characteristics advanced since the 1980s and led up to now to tissue-adopted biomaterials with improved surface finish Regarding this issue, rough endosseous implant surfaces better support bone tissue integration[4], whereas smooth surfaces are favourable for the soft tissue integration of the transgingival implant part, termed a butment[5,6,7].
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