There are many procedures to improve the anchorage strength and mechanical interlocking of root-form dental implants by modifying implants characteristics, especially the implant surface texture, by roughing, coating, or chemical treatment.
Whereas, another surface modification technique, laser etching has been used for material engineering technique, laser etching process defined that microstructural material removal phenomenon occurred material in chamber with reactive gas or etchant when irradiated. When laser beam focused in small area, surface and etchant adjacent to laser beam activated. Material and etchant react chemically each other, product new material, remove microportion. It was used for surface modification method to surface hardening or to increase adhesion of titanium. This surface modification technique, laser-etching procedure with co2 laser, affected to the surface topography.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of laser etching procedure on surface topography of titanium implants.
A total of 12 custom-made, screw-shaped, commercially pure titanium implants with a length 5mm, an outer diameter of 3.75mm were used in this study.
Group 1; 2 machined titanium implants
Group 2; 10 laser etched titanium implants(using Nd-YAG laser)
laser etched surface have a roughed surface such as melting pearl and protrusion which width of pore was 30-50μm and 10μm 2ndary pore.
The present results support the belief that a surface modification, specifically laser etching process, could have a positive effect on the strength of osseointegration.
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