This study focuses on the fatigue behavior and bone-implant attachment for the more usual surfaces of the different CP-titanium dental implants. The implants studied were: as-received (CTR), acid etching (AE), spark-anodization (SA), and with a grit-blasted surface (GB). Residual stresses were determined by means of X-ray diffraction. The fatigue tests were carried out at 37°C on 160 dental implants, and the stress-failure (S-N) curve was determined. The fatigue tests showed that the grit-blasting process improved fatigue life. This is a consequence of the layer of compressive residual stresses that the treatment generates in titanium surfaces. Further, our aim was to assess and compare the short- and midterm bone regenerative potential and mechanical retention of the implants in bone of New Zealand rabbits. The mechanical retention after 4 and 10 weeks of implantation was evaluated with histometric and pull-out tests, respectively, as a measure of the osseointegration of the implants. The results demonstrated that the GB treatment produced microrough that accelerated bone tissue regeneration and increased mechanical retention in the bone bed at short periods of implantation in comparison with all other implants tested. The GB surface produced an improvement in mechanical long-time behavior and improved bone growth. These types of treated implants can have great potential in clinical applications, as evidenced by the outcomes of the current study.
Keywords: Titanium; dental implants; fatigue resistance; osseointegration; residual stresses; shot blasting.