Development of a Novel Fluoride-Modified Implant Surface for Clinical Use

The OssseoSpeed™ implant is the first bone-anchored dental implant with a chemical surface modification of titanium to improve bone healing after implantation. Fluoride modification of titanium alters the surface oxide layer and creates a fluoride containing titanium oxide layer with a characteristic nanostructural surface topography. These small changes in surface chemistry and topography improve the properties of titanium as an implant material with increased bone-to-implant contact at an earlier stage after implantation as one important feature with clinical impact. This book chapter reviews the development of the fluoride-modified titanium implants and summarizes in vitro and in vivo scientific studies documenting and describing the physicochemical properties and biological responses that are experienced with this implant surface. Finally, the clinical studies of the commercial implant (OsseoSpeed™) are presented and discussed.