The question of whether or not to remove the titanium osteosynthesis plates used in maxillofacial surgery is not yet answered. These plates can be left a long time in the organism if there is no harmful interaction between the plates and the organism. The authors examined the properties of the surface oxide layers formed on osteosynthesis titanium plates by subsequent thermal and anodic oxidation, together with the properties of plates removed from patients after three years. Surface analytical method Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) was chosen. It was found that inside of the about 200-mum thick oxide on the original plates the concentration of impurities is much lower than near the oxide/titanium interface. On the surface of plates removed from the human body, a C (carbon), Ca (calcium) and P (phosphorus) enrichment was detected, suggesting a biological interaction between the organism and the plate. The passivating layer formed with thermal and anodic oxidation has not changed significantly in three years; it resisted to the corrosive effect of the human organism.
Ti implants with surfaces modified by anodic and thermal oxidation were used to promote
osteosynthesis. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy and
Auger electron spectroscopy were used to study the surface composition and the depth
homogeneity of the implant materials before implantation and after removal from the
patient (3 years later). The surface of the Ti implants was modified through anodic and
thermal oxidation.
The surface of the Ti implant before use is covered by a 200 nm thick
TiO2
layer, with homogeneously distributed O at depth. During the formation of this
TiO2
layer, phosphate, Ca and a small amount of C are incorporated into the oxide. Similarly to
the main impurities in the base Ti metal (Cr and Fe), the Ca and C accumulate at the
oxide/metal interface.
Three years after the implantation, the binding state of the Ti in
the oxide layer was unchanged. The base metal remained covered by
TiO2, the outer surface of which was partially covered by a mainly C-containing
layer of varying thickness. The increases in the Ca and P contents of the
TiO2
layer during the 3 years in the human body can be explained by incorporation from the
body.
Clinically, no metallosis or allergic reactions were observed.
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