NEW COATING FOR IMPLANTS TO INCREASE BONDING WITH BONE COULD INCREASE SUCCESS RATE

Increasingly, the option for dental implants is proving very popular as a long term solution to the problem of missing teeth.

Many high street dentists are adding this to the services they are supplying to their patients and the demand is growing. Technology in this area means that the success rate for dental implants is very high, however they are not immune to failure, particularly if there are problems with bone recession and infection by peri-implantitis (gum disease that occurs around an implant).

Dental implants are a long-lasting option, just like your own teeth, and they are not cheap so anything that can make that risk of failure smaller is to be welcomed.

Now researchers at the University of the West of England, based in Bristol, have come up with a coating for titanium implants that bonds with vitamin D to enhance bone-forming cell function.

The coating is a lipid ( a fatty acid), called lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), which works with vitamin D at room temperature to bond titanium to bone. It has a dual use in as much as it can deter bacteria sticking to the surface and so give enhanced protection from infection.

Titanium is a popular material for prosthetics as is used for bone and joint replacement in other parts of the body too. LPA looks to help in reducing the risk of failure in these areas too.