A CRITICAL INVESTIGATION OF SOME OF THE PROCEDURES EMPLOYED IN THE SURGICAL USE OF TITANIUM

Rigorous and exhaustive procedures are employed when titanium (Ti) is surgically implanted, whether for orthopaedic or dental applications. Many of these are adopted because it is thought that surface cleanline ss is paramount for clinical success. This paper critical ly examines the necessity for some of these procedures, concentrating on the surfa ce chemistry of Ti plates. Radio frequency plasma treatments are used to remove contamination from ''as received'' Ti plates; XPS and ToF-SI MS were used to monitor the effects of surface chemistry. Ti plates ar e contaminated by immersing them in BSA or by deliberate contamination with the endospores of Bacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 7953. The eff ectiveness of simple cleaning procedures to remove BSA/Bacillus stearo thermophilus are investigated. Attention is given to both the surface cleanliness and sterility after cleaning.