Mechanical and histological investigation of hydrothermally treated and untreated anodic titanium oxide films containing Ca and P.

In a previous study a new method for forming thin hydroxyapatite (HA) layers on titanium was described. Titanium was anodized at 350 V in an electrolyte solution containing sodium beta-glycerophosphate and calcium acetate, and an anodic titanium oxide film containing Ca and P (AOFCP) was formed on the surface. Then numerous HA crystals were precipitated on the AOFCP during hydrothermal treatment in high-pressure steam at 300 degrees C. In this study three types of hydrothermally treated films differing in amounts of precipitated HA crystals and tensile adhesive strength, and untreated films were histologically and mechanically investigated in a transcortical rabbit femoral model for 8 weeks of implantation using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and push-out tests. Machined titanium and HA ceramics served as control materials. The push-out shear strength and bone apposition of the AOFCP significantly increased after hydrothermal treatment, and were equivalent to those of HA ceramics, although the HA layer on the AOFCP was thin at 1-2 microns. From SEM observation of the pushed-out specimen, it was found that the thin HA layer had directly bonded to bone but the AOFCP had not. The push-out strength of the hydrothermally treated film resulted from the chemical bonding of the bone-HA layer interface, while that of the untreated film resulted from mechanical interlocking force between bone and the microprojections. There was a small difference in bone apposition but no significant difference in push-out strength with the amount of precipitated HA crystals on the treated films. Among the treated films, the film formed at the lowest electrolyte concentration showed the lowest bone apposition because of incomplete covering by the HA crystals, and showed the highest stability against mechanical failure because the adhesive strength was very high at about 38 mPa. Also, the hydrothermally untreated anodic oxide films, whose surfaces were rough as a result of the large microprojections, showed much higher push-out strength and bone apposition than titanium. The good hard-tissue compatibility may be attributed to the surface roughness and the possible inhibition of titanium ion release from the specimen.