Glow-discharged titanium implants, with a presumed high surface energy, and conventionally prepared and sterilized titanium implants were inserted in the rabbit tibia and femur. The removal torque and histology were compared after 6 weeks in situ. No qualitative or quantitative differences were detected for implants with different preoperative preparation. The results indicate that the conventional implant treatment described is sufficient to give a surface condition with similar early healing responses as those observed with glow-discharge-treated implants. Keywords: bone apposition, glow discharge, plasma cleaning, surface energy, titanium implants