DENTAL IMPLANT MATERIALS - SURFACE MODIFICATION AND INTERFACE PHENOMENA

Research News: Interactions of biomaterials with hard and soft tissue, blood, or saliva are primarily controlled by the surface properties o f the materials. Titanium and its alloys, in particular, have been sho wn to be biocompatible for many orthopedic and dental implant applicat ions, but the surfaces of the metal still need modification in order t o achieve bioactive or bioinert performance. Current methods and futur e trends in surface treatment of dental implant materials are presente d and phenomena at the implant-bioenvironment interface highlighted.