Biological fabrication of nacreous coating on titanium dental implant

Titanium screws with 3.5 mm diameter and 8 mm length, as well as titanium flat sheets with size 4 mm×8 mm×0.3 mm, were implanted into the epithelial mantle pearl sacs of a fresh water bivalve (Hyriopsis cumingii Lea) by replacing the pearls. After 45 days of cultivation, the implant surfaces were deposited with a nacre coating with iridescent luster. The coating could conform to some extent the thread topography of the screw implant and was about 200–600 μm in thickness. The coating was composed of a laminated nacreous layer and a transitional non-laminated layer that consisted mainly of vaterite and calcite polymorphs of calcium carbonate. The transitional layer was around 2–10 μm thick in the convex and flat region of the implant surface and could form close contact with titanium surface; while the transitional layer was much thicker in the steep concave regions and could not form close contact with the titanium surface. The reasons for inhomogeneity in thickness and the variation in interface character were discussed and the improvement to the design of the dental implant with respect to this coating method was suggested in the paper. The results suggest that it is possible to fabricate a biologically active and degradable, and mechanically tough and strong nacre coating on titanium dental implant by this novel coating technology.