Abrasion-Resistant Elastic Coatings Technology for Dental Implants

Abstract

Development of coatings with the properties of resistance to mechanical loads of various kinds as abrasion, pressure remains an urgent issue in modern dentistry. A framework with a stable coating is less exposed to an aggressive biological environment - saliva, as well as the activity of microorganisms. To achieve the optimal result, it is necessary to search for the optimum in a combination of three factors: the actual structural properties of the implant, the properties of the coating of the implant, as well as the manufacturing technology of the coating and the implant itself. The work was performed on a clinical basis of Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University). Medical steel, grade BioDur 108 (Carpenter Technology Corp.) was used as the basis (or substrate) for production of dental implants for testing. Supporting coatings based on titanium oxide (TiO₂) or based on titanium nitrides/oxynitrides (TiO_xN_1-x) were placed on the substrate. Roughness coefficient (R_a) was in the range of 0.30-0.55 μm. We have not recorded statistically significant differences between the R_a value and type of product (substrate). That is, dental implants with and without coating did not have a difference in the R_a coefficient.The same results were obtained for the hydrophilic properties of the surface of dental implants - regardless of the presence or absence of coating, hydrophilicity indices were observed within 84-87%. The surfaces of dental implants do not have a significant effect on any physiological indicators of platelet activity. Without contact with the substrate, the parameters of blood plasma were proved to remain unchanged for an hour at 37°C. On the contrary, in contact with the steel part of the dental implant, without coating, there was a significant increase in platelet activity. As our experiments showed, the presence on the dental implants of a coating consisting of titanium oxide, or with the inclusion of Ti-O-N, reduces the likelihood of a blood clot. The reason for this is reduced adhesion of blood cells to titanium oxide surfaces.

Keywords: Magnetron sputtering apparatus, Titanium oxide, Spearman correlations.