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. 2021 Mar 5;22(5):2597.
doi: 10.3390/ijms22052597.

Surface Activation of Titanium Dental Implants by Using UVC-LED Irradiation

Nagore Arroyo-Lamas  1 , Iciar Arteagoitia  2 , Unai Ugalde  3
Affiliations

Surface Activation of Titanium Dental Implants by Using UVC-LED Irradiation

Nagore Arroyo-Lamas et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Organic contaminants significantly limit the bioactivity of titanium implants, resulting in the degradation known as the ageing of titanium. To reactivate the surfaces, they can be photofunctionalized, i.e., irradiated with C-range ultraviolet (UVC) light. This descriptive in vitro study compares the effectiveness of novel light-emitting diode (LED) technology to remove contaminant hydrocarbons from three different commercially available titanium dental implants: THD, TiUnite, and SLA. The surface topography and morphology were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The chemical compositions were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), before and after the lighting treatment, by a pair of closely placed UVC (λ = 278 nm) and LED devices for 24 h. SEM analysis showed morphological differences at the macro- and micro-scopic level. XPS analysis showed a remarkable reduction in the carbon contents after the UVC treatment: from 25.6 to 19.5 C at. % (carbon atomic concentration) in the THD; from 30.2 to 20.2 C at. % in the TiUnite; from 26.1 to 19.2 C at. % in the SLA surface. Simultaneously, the concentration of oxygen and titanium increased. Therefore, LED-based UVC irradiation decontaminated titanium surfaces and improved the chemical features of them, regardless of the kind of surface.

Keywords: decontamination; dental implants; electron; hydrocarbons; microscopy; photoelectron spectroscopy; scanning; titanium; ultraviolet rays.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
SEM pictures (at the macro- and micro-scopic level, magnifications of 7–10× and 1000×, respectively) and XPS wide scans of Ti dental implants: THD; TiUnite; SLA.
Figure 2
Figure 2
XPS analyses of THD surface: XPS full-range spectra and deconvoluted XPS, with lines analysis and binding energies of C1s, O1s, and Ti2p; before (a,c,e) and after (b,d,f) LED-based UVC photofunctionalization.
Figure 3
Figure 3
XPS analyses of TiUnite surface: XPS full-range spectra and deconvoluted XPS, with lines analysis and binding energies of C1s, O1s and Ti2p; before (a,c,e) and after (b,d,f) LED-based UVC photofunctionalization.
Figure 4
Figure 4
XPS analyses of SLA surface: XPS full-range spectra and deconvoluted XPS, with lines analysis and binding energies of C1s, O1s, and Ti2p; before (a,c,e) and after (b,d,f) LED-based UVC photofunctionalization.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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