Evaluation of the biocompatibility of titanium-tantalum alloy versus titanium.

To evaluate the biocompatibility of a new titanium-tantalum alloy, with qualities superior to titanium alone, for use in oral implantology, fibroblast and epithelial cell lines were grown on plastic, titanium, copper, and titanium-tantalum supports. Studies using scanning electron microscopy, flow cytometry, and cytotoxicity assays were conducted to compare the different supports. Scanning electron microscopic observations showed high densities of fibroblasts and epithelial cells with well-developed attachment systems in the form of cytoplasmic projections. Cell densities were lower on titanium and titanium-tantalum surfaces than on plastic. Cell numbers, as determined by cytotoxicity assays, were significantly higher on plastic than on titanium or titanium-tantalum surfaces while fibroblasts proliferated better than epithelial cells on both metal surfaces. Flow cytometric analyses of cell cycles did not reveal any significant variations in the distribution of cells among the cycle phases on the three materials. We found no differences with regard to the parameters studied between titanium and the titanium-tantalum alloy.