A novel plasma treatment source for generating cylindrical plasma on the surface of titanium dental implants is developed herein. Using the titanium implant as an electrode and the packaging wall as a dielectric barrier, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma was generated, allowing the implant to remain sterile. Numerical and experimental investigations were conducted to determine the optimal discharge conditions for eliminating hydrocarbon impurities, which are known to degrade the bioactivity of the implant. XPS measurement confirmed that plasma treatment reduced the amount of carbon impurities on the implant surface by approximately 60%. Additionally, in vitro experiments demonstrated that the surface treatment significantly improved cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Collectively, we proposed a plasma treatment source for dental implants that successfully removes carbon impurities and facilitate the osseointegration of SLA implants.

In this study, we propose a vacuum plasma device for surface treatment of dental implants. This plasma device was designed to allow direct installation of sealed implant packaging containing the dental implant. In this manner, the dental implant could be treated with plasma under a moderate vacuum environment while remaining in a sterile condition. To assess the osseointegration efficiency, in vitro experiments using sandblasted, large grit, acid etching (SLA), calcium coated-SLA (CaSLA), and calcium coated-SLA with plasma treatment (PCaSLA) were performed. The implant surface was observed with scanning electron microscope (SEM) before and after plasma treatment. Thereafter, protein adsorption, cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation efficiency were investigated on the surface of each implant type using saos-2, an osteoblast. Plasma treatment significantly improved protein adsorption, cell adhesion, and cell proliferation efficiency compared to both CaSLA and SLA without damaging the calcium coating. According to the findings, the proposed vacuum plasma device has shown the potential to improve osseointegration efficiency. We believe that this plasma technology can be an innovative chairside solution that can be easily handled in the clinical field with superb usability.

Previous studies have highlighted the need for post-treatment of implants due to surface aging. This study investigated the effect of vacuum plasma (VP) treatment on the osseointegration of sandblasted, large grit, acid-etched (SLA) implant surfaces. The hypothesis was that VP might enhance implant stability, measured by implant stability quotient (ISQ) and histological osseointegration through bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and bone area ratio (BA) in rabbit models. Eighteen implants were either untreated or treated with VP and installed into the femurs of six rabbits, which were sacrificed after four weeks. Histological analyses of BIC and BA, along with micro-CT analysis of bone volume and ISQ, were performed. The VP-treated group showed higher levels of BA, bone volume, and ISQ, but no statistically significant differences were observed between the control and experimental groups. Despite limitations, both groups achieved better osseointegration and regeneration, warranting further studies on plasma treatment effects over varying implantation periods.

Recent studies have explored surface treatments, such as increasing the hydrophilicity of implant fixtures, to enhance the osseointegration of implants. This prospective clinical study aimed to assess the clinical stability and efficacy of plasma treatment applied to implants with sandblast−acid etching (SLA) surfaces before placement. Twenty-eight patients requiring implant placement provided consent and were assigned randomly to either the SLA group without plasma treatment or the SLA/plasma group with plasma treatment. Recall checks were conducted one and three months after the first-stage surgery, followed by a second surgery at four months. Although no significant differences in buccal bone defects or implant stability were observed between the groups, the SLA/plasma group showed significant increases in marginal bone changes on the mesial and distal sides, as assessed using periapical radiographs. This study underscores the potential of pre-implantation plasma treatment to enhance bone regeneration around implants.