Effect of surface pretreatment and pack cementation on bioactivity of titanium dental implant

• A pack cementation treatment was performed using TTCP (tetracalcium phosphate).
• Apatite formation was improved in the anodized specimens after pack cementation.
• The highest bioactivity was observed in the nanotube anodized specimen.
• The biocompatibility was good in all surface treated specimens.

The bone‐bonding ability of a material is generally assessed by examining the apatite forming ability in simulated body fluid. The bone‐bonding ability can be increased by increasing the surface roughness and forming a surface similar to the bone. In this study, pretreatments of titanium used for dental implant were anodized at a high voltage to form micropores, and at a low voltage to form nanotubes. In addition, pack cementation was performed on the pretreated specimens in a crucible filled with TTCP (tetracalcium phosphate) powder at 700 °C for 24 h to impart bioactivity.After pack cementation, apatite formed on the surface of all specimens. In particular, the amount of apatite was higher in the anodized specimens. The specimen immersed in SBF for one day was shown to form apatite on the entire surface due to the effect of anodic oxidation pretreatment of forming nanotube, thereby exhibiting the highest bioactivity. The surface roughness was significantly high in the anodized specimens (P < 0.05), and the highest surface roughness was observed in the spark anodized specimen after pack cementation. The biocompatibility was good in all specimens that underwent the surface treatments, and cell differentiation and cell proliferation were activated the most in the nanotube‐anodized specimens after pack cementation. Therefore, strong bonding with the bone is expected as the surface roughness imparted by anodic oxidation results in an increase in implant surface area and corrosion resistance.Overall, the pretreatment and pack cementation are expected to be used for the surface modification of implant materials.