Spectroscopic studies of three osseointegrated implants

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the surface characteristics of titanium implants. Methods: The chemical state of the surfaces of three types of osseointegrated titanium implant, Brånemark (Nobelpharma, Göteborg, Sweden), IMZ (Friatec, Mannheim, Germany) and ITI-Bonefit (Straumann, Waldenburg, Switzerland), were analysed by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results: The outermost layers of the implants investigated were speculated to be TiO2. In the Brånemark implants pure titanium was found under the TiO2 layer. By contrast, in the IMZ and ITI-Bonefit implants which are titanium plasma spray coated, oxygen atoms were observed at considerable depths by AES, and the material under the TiO2 layer showed a chemical shift by XPS. Furthermore, shifted peaks were not of pure titanium or of titanium oxide. Conclusion: The three titanium implants investigated were found to have different surface characteristics when examined by spectroscopy. As these implants show similar osseointegration it is suggested that they may be found to interact differently with vital bone.