Title: Bone osseointegration tests performed on titanium dental root implants made by laser processing

Authors: Tahar Laoui, Nikolay Konstantinovich Tolochko, Alexander Sergeevich Artushkevich, Ludo Froyen

Addresses: School of Engineering and Built Environment, University of Wolverhampton, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1SB, UK. ' Institute of Technical Acoustics, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 13 Ludnikova av., 210717, Vitebsk, Belarus. ' Belarusian Institute for Postgraduate Medical Education, 3 P. Brovka str., 220714, Minsk, Belarus. ' Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, University of Leuven, Arenberg Kasteel 4, B3001 Leuven, Belgium

Abstract: Bone in-growth tests were performed on dental root implants fabricated using an improved technique of laser processing of Ti powders. This technique consists of combined laser-sintering/laser-melting processes. Through this combination, implant samples were made possessing a structure composed of two different zones, namely a remelted compact core and a sintered porous shell/layer. The laser-processed implants were then inserted into the lower jawbone of a dog for bone osseointegration analysis. The results of this investigation show that it is possible to produce dental root implants possessing the required geometry, structure and strength that might be suitable for medical applications.

Keywords: dental root implants; porous implants; laser processing; laser melting; laser sintering; titanium powder; graded structures; medical testing; bone osseointegration; bone in-growth; medical engineering; biomedical engineering.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPD.2004.005712

International Journal of Product Development, 2004 Vol.1 No.2, pp.165 - 171

Published online: 24 Nov 2004 *

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