Abstract
Recently, titanium is the material of choice for uncoated implants because of its biological acceptance in the bone.SEM observations of commercial implants revealed a different surface micromorphology for their bone contact area which was affected by the preparation procedures used in implant fabrication.In this study, the surface morphology of the titanium plates prepared by wire type electric discharge machining(Wire-EDM)was compared with those prepared by plasma coating and mechanical lathing used in commercial implant fabrication.The surface roughness(Rmax)of the titanium plates with plasma coating and lathing was 30.1 and 2.6μm, respectively.The surface micromorphology of the titanium plates with Wire-EDM varied according to the applied electrical conditions, and higher electrical conditions produced a surface with a higher roughness.The Rmax value of the titanium plates with Wire-EDM was in the range of 7〜22μm.Titanium plates with lathing showed the surface with regular morphology.On the other hand, both the titanium plates with Wire-EDM and plasma coating showed the surface with irregular morphology.The surface with a Wire-EDM was irregular but rather controlled, and that with plasma coating was highly irregular and porous.
