Tantalum, Niobium and Titanium Coatings for Biocompa Improvement of Dental Implants

Metals have a wide range of applications in implant and prosthetic materials in dentistry. Corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of metals should be improved in order to utilize them as biomaterials. The aim of this work was to prepare metallic coatings on 316L stainless steel dental implants, to evaluate the corrosion characteristics of the uncoated and metallic coated dental implants as an indication of biocompatibility and, to compare the effect of the type of the coatings on biocompatibility.
In this in vitro evaluation, three types of metallic coatings including tantalum, niobium and titanium coatings were compared using a physical vapor deposition process on 316L stainless steel dental implants. Structural characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis were utilized to investigate the microstructure and morphology of the coatings. Electrochemical potentiodynamic tests were performed in two types of physiological solutions at 37±1°C in order to determine and compare the corrosion current density and corrosion potential characteristics. The mean values were statistically compared by ANOVA at a 95% level of confidence.
The findings showed that all of the three types of metallic coatings had a positive effect on improvement of the corrosion behavior. The coatings could increase the corrosion resistance of 316L stainless steel and this trend was independent of the type of physiological environment.
The biocompatible metallic coatings could decrease the corrosion current density and is a distinct advantage for prevention of ion release. Decreasing ion release can improve the biocompatibility of the dental implant, and consequently can prevent tissue damage, tissue inflammation and irritation, and can also lead to obtaining a desirable histopathological response.