Apatite deposition on thermally and anodically oxidized titanium surfaces in a simulated body fluid.

By application of a special specimen set-up, thermally oxidized titanium specimen pairs were found able to deposit apatite on the contact surfaces after soaking for 7 days in the simulated body fluid (SBF) of Kokubo's recipe. The specimens oxidized at 400 degrees C and 500 degrees C showed the highest ability of apatite deposition. Both increase and decrease in oxidation temperature from this range caused the apatite deposition ability to decrease. The specimen without treatment failed to deposit any apatite. Specimens anodically oxidized in electrolytes of H(3)PO(4), H(2)SO(4) and acetic acid exhibited very low ability of apatite deposition. Furthermore, the specimen thermally oxidized at 400 degrees C was even able to help the surfaces of PTFE and silicone deposit apatite in the PTFE-Ti and silicone-Ti pairs. This in vitro experimental results indicated that the difference in apatite deposition among various titanium oxides does exist and can be distinguished by applying the present specimen set-up. The mechanism of the apatite deposition on the contact surfaces was discussed in relation to the passive dissolution of titanium in SBF. The release of titanium hydroxide and OH(-) ions from the titanium surfaces and their accumulation inside the confined space between the two contact surfaces were suggested to be responsible for the apatite deposition.