Histological and Bone Morphometric Evaluation of Osseointegration Aspects by Alkali Hydrothermally-Treated Implants

The purpose of this study was to investigate the osseointegration aspects of alkali-treated implants by histological and bone morphometric evaluations. Titanium implants (control) and alkali hydrothermally-treated titanium implants were used. Samples were evaluated by surface structure observation and wettability tests. Both implants were placed into the femurs of five rabbits, and osseointegration was assessed by measurement of removal torque (RT), bone–implant contact ratio (BIC), and bone tissue area ratio (BTA). Measurements were performed at the whole portion around the implant, the cortical bone portion, and the bone marrow portion. The surface structure of alkali-group showed nanoscale pores and super hydrophilicity. RT, BIC, and BTA values of alkali-group were significantly higher than those of control-group at the whole portion. In the cortical bone portion, the BIC value was higher in the alkali-group than in the control-group, and BTA showed no significant difference between groups. In the bone marrow portion, even though no significant difference between control and alkali groups, the latter had higher ratio of BIC than the former. These results indicate that alkali treated implants enhance bone integration in areas where the implant is in contact with bone, and may promote osteoinduction in the non-bone marrow portion