Organic-inorganic surface modifications for titanium implant surfaces

This paper reviews current physicochemical and biochemical coating techniques that are investigated to enhance bone regeneration at the interface of titanium implant materials. By applying coatings onto titanium surfaces that mimic the organic and inorganic components of living bone tissue, a physiological transition between the non-physiological titanium surface and surrounding bone tissue can be established. In this way, the coated titanium implants stimulate bone formation from the implant surface, thereby enhancing early and strong fixation of bone-substituting implants. As such, a continuous transition from bone tissue to implant surface is induced. This review presents an overview of various techniques that can be used to this end, and that are inspired by either inorganic (calcium phosphate) or organic (extracellular matrix components, growth factors, enzymes, etc.) components of natural bone tissue. The combination, however, of both organic and inorganic constituents is expected to result into truly bone-resembling coatings, and as such to a new generation of surface-modified titanium implants with improved functionality and biological efficacy.