Effect of alkaline treatment with sodium hydroxide on wettability and bioactivity of some commercial dental implants: An in-vitro study

Aim/Objectives The aim of this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of NaOH alkaline treatment on wettability and bioactivity of some commercial dental implants. Background The surface of titanium dental implants plays an important role in their success. Wettability is one of the crucial surface characteristics for osseointegration. Methods In this study, three commercial titanium dental implants are grouped by their types into 3 groups (n=10). Each group is divided into 2 subgroups (n=5) according to alkaline treatment. Each experimental specimen is immersed in 5 mL of 5M NaOH solution for 24h at 60°C, then put in an incubator for 24 h to dry at 40°C. All specimens are subjected to surface wettability test through measuring static contact angle (CA) by sessile drop technique and in vitro bioactivity test through immersion into a simulated body fluid (SBF) at 37°C and 7.4p H for 7 days. Then characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dispersive X-ray. Student t-test is used for pair-wise comparisons. The significance level is set at P≤0.05. Results/Conclusions The alkaline surface treatment of Ti dental implants significantly enhances their surface wettability and bioactivity by formation of a porous network structure at a nano scale from sodium titanate hydrogel layer on the surface.