Decontamination of Titanium Surface Using Different Methods: An In Vitro Study

Contamination of implants is inevitable during different steps of production as well as during the clinical use. We devised a new implant cleaning strategy to restore the bioactivities on dental implant surfaces. We evaluated the efficiency of the Finevo cleaning system, and Ultraviolet and Plasma treatments to decontaminate hydrocarbon-contaminated titanium disks. The surfaces of the contaminated titanium disks cleaned using the Finevo cleaning system were similar to those of the uncontaminated titanium disks in scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, but no obvious change in the roughness was observed in the scanning probe microscopy analysis. The rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMMSCs) cultured on the treated titanium disks attached to and covered the surfaces of disks cleaned with the Finevo cleaning system. The alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium deposition, and osteogenesis-related gene expression in rBMMSCs on disks cleaned using the Finevo cleaning system were higher compared to those in the ultraviolet and plasma treatments, displaying better cell functionality. Thus, the Finevo cleaning system can enhance the attachment, differentiation, and mineralization of rBMMSCs on treated titanium disk surfaces. This research provides a new strategy for cleaning the surface of contaminated titanium dental implants and for restoration of their biological functions.