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The interface zone of inorganic implantsIn vivo: Titanium implants in bone

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Abstract

The interface zone between titanium implants and bone is considered at the macroscopic, microscopic, and molecular levels. A high rate of successful dental implants of pure titanium is associated with a very close apposition of the bone to the titanium surface, called osseointegration. At the macroscopic level, osseointegration allows efficient stress transfer from the implant to the bone without abrasion or progressive movement that can take place if a fibrous layer intervenes. At the microscopic level, surface roughness and porosity provide interlocking of the implant and bone tissue which grows into direct contact with titanium. Sections studied in the electron microscope show that calcified tissue can be identified within 50 Å of the implant surface. The interface zone includes a tightly adherent titanium oxide layer on the surface of the implant which may be similar to a ceramic material in relation to tissue response. The five year success rate of 90% in 2895 implants in clinical trials since 1965 is associated with the favorable behavior of bone tissue at the interface zone with pure titanium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, University of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden

    Tomas Albrektsson & P-I. Brånemark

  2. Institute for Applied Biotechnology, Göteborg, Sweden

    Tomas Albrektsson & P-I. Brånemark

  3. Department of Histology, University of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden

    Hans-Arne Hansson

  4. Physics Department, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden

    Bengt Kasemo

  5. Department of Food Technology, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden

    Kåre Larsson

  6. Department of Physics and Measurement Technology, Linköping Institute of Technology, Linköping, Sweden

    Ingmar Lundström

  7. Research Laboratory of Electronics, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden

    Douglas H. McQueen

  8. Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Columbia University, 10027, New York, New York

    Richard Skalak

Authors
  1. Tomas Albrektsson
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  2. P-I. Brånemark
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  3. Hans-Arne Hansson
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  4. Bengt Kasemo
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  6. Ingmar Lundström
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  7. Douglas H. McQueen
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  8. Richard Skalak
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Albrektsson, T., Brånemark, PI., Hansson, HA. et al. The interface zone of inorganic implantsIn vivo: Titanium implants in bone. Ann Biomed Eng 11, 1–27 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02363944

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