Effect of Heat-Treated Titanium Surfaces on Protein Adsorption and Osteoblast Precursor Cell Initial Attachment

The clinical success of dental implants is governed in part by surface properties of implants and their interactions with the surrounding tissues. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of heat-treated titanium surfaces on protein adsorption and osteoblast precursor cell attachment in vitro. Passivated titanium samples used in this study were either non heat treated or heat treated at 750 degrees C for 90 minutes. It was observed that the contact angle on heat-treated titanium surfaces was statistically lower compared with the non-heat-treated titanium surfaces. The non-heat-treated titanium surface was also observed to be amorphous oxide, whereas heat treatment of titanium resulted in the conversion of amorphous oxide to crystalline anatase oxide. No significant difference in albumin and fibronectin adsorption was observed between the heat-treated and non-heat-treated titanium surfaces. In addition, no significant difference in initial cell attachment was observed between the two groups. It was concluded that heat treatment of titanium resulted in significantly more hydrophilic surfaces compared to non-heat-treated titanium surfaces. However, differences in oxide crystallinity and wettability were not observed to affect protein adsorption and initial osteoblast precursor cell attachment. (Implant Dent 2005;14:70-76)