Surface properties may affect the clinical outcome of titanium dental implants. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of 3 different titanium surfaces-smooth (S), sandblasted (SB), and titanium plasma-sprayed (TPS)-on proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of human osteoblast-like cells, SaOS-2. Cell proliferation was significantly (p < 0.05) higher on the S surface, and synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins was more abundant on TPS and SB than on S surfaces. Analysis of integrin receptors showed a higher expression of alpha2, alpha5, alphaVbeta3, and ss1 on TPS as compared with SB and S surfaces. An increase in alkaline phosphatase activity was detected only on SB and TPS surfaces. Analysis of cell apoptosis did not demonstrate any significant difference among the 3 different surfaces. The results indicate that titanium surface topography affects proliferation and differentiation of osteoblast-like SaOS-2 cells, suggesting that surface properties might be important for bone response around dental implants in vivo.

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