Effect of micro-roughness produced by TiO2 blasting—tensile testing of bone attachment by using coin-shaped implants

The aim of the present study was to examine bone response to micro-rough titanium implants. Forty coin-shaped implants were divided into eight groups according to their surface roughness. The first group had electropolished surfaces. The surfaces of implant groups 2–8 were blasted with TiO2 particles with incremental grain sizes ranging from 7.5–12.5 to 270–330 μm. Five implants from each group were placed into the cortical bone of the proximal tibia in New Zealand Black rabbits. To avoid bone overgrowth during the retention phase the implants were fitted into tight polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) caps leaving only the flat test surface exposed to bone. The healing period was set to 10 weeks, and implants with attached bone were evaluated using a tensile testing machine. In groups 1–7 a significant correlation between the micro-roughness of the implant surfaces and retention strength was observed. Maximum bone bonding was observed with implants blasted with 180–220 μm grain size (group 7). Blasting with larger TiO2 particles appeared to decrease the effect. The findings suggest that the best grain size of TiO2 particles for optimising retention of titanium implants in cortical bone should be in the 180–220 μm range.