ABSTRACT
Metallic materials, such as Ti,
Zr, Nb, Ta, and their alloys, and also stainless steels
are widely attractive as osteoconductive materials in the dental and orthopedic
fields. Ceramics and polymers are also commonly used as biomaterials. However,
they do not have high osteoconductivity in their pure form, and surface
coatings with bioactive substances, such as hydroxyapatite or TiO2,
are needed before implantation into the bone. Many reports claim that the
surface chemical properties of implants, in particular, hydrophilicity and
hydrophobicity, strongly affect the biological reactions. However, the effect
of surface properties on osteoconductivity is not clear. In this review, we
focus on the relationship between the surface hydrophilicity of metallic
implants and osteoconductivity using in vivo evaluation, and the control
of the osteoconductivity is discussed from the viewpoint of protein adsorption
in implants.