Abstract
To reveal the effectiveness of ultraviolet (UV)/ozone irradiation in the cleaning procedure for titanium in dental implants, we examined the effects of UV/ozone treatment on the wettability and initial cell adhesion of polished titanium. After treatment with either UV/ozone irradiation or autoclave sterilization, the contact angles and initial cell adhesion were determined using a dynamic wettability test and MTS assay, respectively. Contact angles of the UV/ozone irradiation group were significantly smaller than those of the autoclave sterilization group, but were not influenced by the irradiation time. There was no significant difference in initial cell adhesion between the UV/ozone irradiation group and the autoclave sterilization group. It was suggested that UV/ozone irradiation might be useful in the cleaning of titanium surfaces, although further clarification concerning cellular physiology is required.
