Development of Niobium Oxide Coatings on Sand-Blasted Titanium Alloy Dental Implants

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to use scanning electron microscopy (SEM) evaluation to determine the optimal anodize-tion conditions needed to generate niobium oxide coatings on titanium alloy dental implant screws. Sand-blasted tita-nium alloy dental implants were anodized in dilute hydrofluoric acid (HF (aq)) solution using a Sorensen DLM 300-2 power supply. The HF concentration and anodization time were varied and the resulting implant surfaces were evalu-ated using a Jeol JSM-5310LV Scanning Electron Microscope to determine the ideal anodization conditions. While HF is necessary to facilitate oxide growth, increasing concentrations resulted in proportionate increases in coating delami-nation. In a similar manner, a minimum anodization time of 1 hour was necessary for oxide growth but longer times produced more delamination especially at higher HF (aq) concentrations. SEM imaging showed that implants anodized for 1 hour in a 0.1% HF (aq) aqueous solution had the best results. Anodization can be used to generate niobium oxide coatings on sand-blasted Ti alloy dental implants by balancing the competing factors of oxide growth and coating de-lamination. It is believed that these oxide coatings have the potential to improve osseointegration relative to untreated dental implants when evaluated in an in vivo study.