Histomorphometric Evaluation of Alumina-Blasted/Acid-Etched and Thin Ion Beam-Deposited Bioceramic Surfaces: An Experimental Study in Dogs

Purpose

In an attempt to overcome the potential long-term limitations observed with plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite-coated implants, nanothickness bioceramic coatings have been processed onto previously grit-blasted/acid-etched surfaces. Our objective was to evaluate the bone response to alumina-blasted/acid-etched and a thin ion beam-deposited bioceramic (Test) implant surfaces at 2 and 4 weeks in vivo with a dog tibia model.

Materials and Methods

Plateau root form implants (5 × 6 mm) were placed bilaterally along the proximal tibia of 6 Doberman dogs and remained for 2 and 4 weeks in vivo (n = 6 per implant type and time in vivo). After euthanization, the implants were processed in a nondecalcified form and reduced to ∼30 μm-thickness plates. Transmitted light optical microscopy at various magnifications was used to qualitatively evaluate the bone healing patterns. Bone-to-implant contact (BIC) was determined and 1-way ANOVA at 95% level of significance with Tukey's post-hoc multiple comparisons was used for statistical analysis.

Results

Histomorphology showed new bone formation filling the spaces between the plateaus at both in vivo time intervals through large quantities of woven bone formation. A higher degree of bone organization was observed between the plateaus of Test implants at 4 weeks in vivo than the alumina-blasted/acid-etched implants. No significant differences in BIC were observed for the different groups (P > .86).

Conclusion

Despite nonsignificant differences between BIC for the different implant surfaces and times in vivo, higher degrees of bone organization were observed for the Test implants at 4 weeks, and biomechanical testing is suggested to verify its biomechanical fixation effectiveness.