Osseointegration of implants is significant in determining implant success. Factors influencing osseointegration include the good hydrophilicity (wettability) of the implant surface. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the free surface energy before and after CO2 irradiation on rough titanium surfaces. Material and Methods: Sandblasted, large grit, acidetched (SLA) implant surfaces were used for this study. Contact angle evaluations were performed for saline, albumin, and artificial blood using a contact angle goniometer in 25°C and 37°C (20 droplets in each group, 120 in total). The titanium disks were then irradiated with a CO2 laser (10,600 nm) using a non-contact, defocused, 2W continuous wave for 30 seconds. Contact angle measurements for saline, albumin and artificial blood were evaluated immediately after irradiation (new 120 in total contact angle measurements) and compared with the measurements before laser irradiation. Paired t-test using SPSS was performed for 5% statistical significance level. Results: Lower numbers of contact angle measurements were found and changes after CO2-laser irradiation were statistically significant (p < 0.05) for all groups except for albumin at 25°C, as follows: 25℃: (saline) (Pre) 111.97° ±13.67°, (Post) 79.29° ±10.83° / p<0.0001; (albumin) (Pre) 89.04° ±12.02°, (Post) 83.29° ±20.71° / p=0.297; (blood) (Pre) 97.79° ±14.44°, (Post) 86.29° ±10.82° / p=0.019; 37℃: (saline) (Pre) 104.12° ±13.138°, (Post) 92.66° ±4.777° / p=0.001; (albumin) (Pre) 89.04° ±12.02°, (Post) 83.29° ±20.71° / p=0.297 (blood) (Pre) 80.42° ±19.00°, (Post) 58.62° ±24.34° / p=0.012. Conclusion: The CO2 laser irradiation in general positively affected the wettability and hydrophilicity of rough titanium (SLA) surfaces.
Keywords: CO2 lasers; contact angle; irradiation; wettability
