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Introduction: The effects of three different decontaminating solutions in clinical use for peri-implantitis therapy on the chemical structure and surface roughness of commercially pure (CP) Ti were investigated. A further aim was to survey the response of the biological environment to these changes, by examining the attachment and proliferation of human epithelial cells after treatment of the Ti surfaces with these solutions., Materials and Methods: CP (grade 4) machined titanium discs (CAMLOG Biotechnologies AG, Switzerland) were treated with 3% H2O2 (5 min), saturated citric acid (pH = 1; 1 min) or chlorhexidine gel (CHX, 5 min). The surface properties were followed through the use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The epithelial cell attachment and proliferation was examined by means of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and bicinchoninic acid (BCA) protein-content assays., Results: XPS showed an intact TiO2 layer on each sample and CHX was adsorbed by the surface, as C-O and/or C=O bond formation was revealed. AFM results gave no significant changes in the roughness after treating the surfaces with the cleaning solutions. While MTT and BCA assays did not show significant differences in epithelial cell attachments, the cell proliferation was significantly increased after H2O2 treatment as compared to CHX (not shown by BCA assays)., Conclusions: The applied decontaminating agents do not damage the Ti surface. H2O2 can be used effectively in decontaminating the implants affected by peri-implantitis, as the human epithelial cell growth was improved, in contrast with CHX.

The high fluoride concentration and the acidic pH in tooth-paste used to prevent caries may modify the surface structure of implants made of titanium. Oxidative agents thicken and condense the titanium-dioxid layer on the surface of titanium and improve its stability against corrosion effects, while reductive agents like fluoride may have the opposite effect and attack this layer. The aim of the present work was to study the effects of fluoride containing toothpaste and gel on the titanium dioxid layer of titanium. The surfaces of the titanium (commercial pure grade I.) discs were treated with toothpaste and gel containing 0.125 % and 1.25 % fluoride, respectively. The changes in the surface structure were analyzed by atomic force microscope (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Our results demonstrated that fluoride strongly binds to the titanium surface and modifies its structure in case of fluoride containing gels.

The biointegration of dental and orthopaedic implants depends mainly on the morphology and physical-chemical properties of their surfaces. Accordingly, the development of the desired microstructure is a relevant requirement in the bulk manufacture. Besides the widely used sandblasting plus acid etching and plasma-spray coating techniques, the laser surface modification method offers a plausible alternative. In order to analyze the influence of the laser treatment, the surfaces of titanium samples were exposed to excimer laser irradiation. The aim of this study was to develop surfaces that provide optimal conditions for bone-implant contact, bone growth, formation and maintenance of gingival attachment. For this purpose, holes were ablated on the surface of samples by nanosecond (18 ns, ArF) and also sub-picosecond (0,5 ps, KrF) laser pulses. Using pulses of ns length, due to melt ejection, crown-like protrusions were formed at the border of the holes, which made them sensitive to mechanical effects. To avoid these undesirable crown-like structures ultrashort KrF excimer laser pulses were successfully applied. On the other hand, titanium samples were laser-polished in favour of formation and connection of healthy soft tissues. Irradiation by a series of nanosecond laser pulses resulted in an effective smoothening as detected by atomic force microscopy (AFM). By inhibiting plaque accumulation this favours formation of gingival attachment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies showed that laser treatment, in addition to micro-structural and morphological modification, results in decreasing of surface contamination and thickening of the oxide layer. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the original alpha-titanium crystalline structure of the laser-polished titanium surface was not altered by the irradiation.