Effect of the Surface Properties of Titanium on Cell Attachment and Growth

Abstract

Titanium dental implant osseointegration is crucial for successful implant procedures. Titanium implant surfaces usually modulate the early biological interactions between implants and hard and soft tissues and contribute to osseointegration. This study investigates the impact of the different micro-roughness surfaces of titanium on the bone cell response. Commercially pure titanium discs were prepared and exposed to a manual sanding process with three different grit size sandpapers (P400, P800, P1500) to obtain three different surface micro-roughness groups, in addition to a group of original non-polished discs. A stylus profilometer was used to characterize the four groups surface micro-roughness: P400 group (Ra of 0.85 μm), P800 group (Ra of 0.22 μm), P1500 group (Ra 0.28 μm), and the original group (Ra of 0.75 μm). After the discs’ sterilization, they were employed in cell culture to identify the bovine-derived synovial mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) biocompatibility and viability. The bovine synovial (MSCs) underwent an osteogenesis assay to validate their use to model the human osteogenic cells’ behaviour. The cells' biocompatibility and viability were evaluated using a light microscope and spectrophotometer. Based on the preliminary data presented in this work, it is found that the titanium implant surface micro-roughness yields superior bone cell biocompatibility and viability, suggesting Ra (0.28 ± 0.20 μm) is the ideal roughness for the best bone cell attachment and growth. This paper recommends more high-quality studies using a combination of surface roughness evaluation techniques to achieve the most accurate value of the ideal surface roughness of titanium.