Abstract
In this study, the use of Er:YAG irradiation to firmly adhere carbonate apatite calcined at 500℃ (CA) particles, which were thought to remain, to the surface of the implant was evaluated in vitro. A CA slurry was applied to the surface of pure Ti and CaTiO3-coated Ti substrates before Er:YAG irradiation. The degree of CAparticle adhesion to the Er:YAG lased substrates was evaluated by EPMA, IR and SEM after three-way syringe washing and ultrasonic treatment. The substrates were immersed for two days and seven days in a bodysimulating fluid, and the form of the crystals deposited on their surfaces was observed by SEM, elemental and state analyses of Ca and P atoms were conducted using EPMA, and the samples were examined for deposition of a bone-similar apatite phase. They were also examined to determine whether CA could be made to adhere under irradiation conditions in which the temperature remained below 53℃, a threshold value at which a bony irreversible change occurs. The results of SEM, EPMA, and IR examination after Er:YAG laser irradiation showed that CA adhered to the titanium substrates. SEM and EPMA observations revealed that a bone-similar apatite phase was deposited during immersion in the body-simulating fluid. Under appropriate irradiation conditions, in which the temperature due to laser irradiation was lower than 53℃, CA particles were successfully attached to both pure Ti and CaTiO3-coated Ti substrates.
