Titanium Ion Leakage in Regard to Anodized Titanium: a Pilot Study

Objectives: The objective of this pilot study is to evaluate the presence of Titanium ions leakage from various anodized titanium in different pH environment.
Methods: Eighty Commercially pure titanium (cp-Ti) and titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) samples were anodized at different voltages, in two different solutions mimicking clinical situations. The samples were divided into groups depending on variations of pH levels, grades of titanium commonly used in dentistry, and different anodization voltages (55 V, 65 V, 72-80V) utilized in implant dentistry for surface treatments. CpTi and Ti-6Al-4V alloy discs in 10 mm diameter and 1 mm thickness were used. The tests performed were in acidic artificial saliva iii (pH 3.5) and PBS (pH 7.4). The ions’ leakage was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP). The results were analyzed statistically using ANOVA and pairwise tests. A significant difference was accepted when p < 0.05.
Results: there were no statistically significant differences between the leaked amounts based on voltage. However, there appears to be an interaction with the different Ti grades and varied pH solutions. (p = 0.01) A pairwise test was done to compare the clinically relevant interaction with the Ti grades and pH. This illustrates a significant interaction with grade 5 or Ti alloy and pH variables. (p = 0.008)
Conclusions: Within the limitations of this pilot study, the ion leakage appears to be influenced by titanium grades and pH. Furthermore, anodizing at different voltages appears to not affect the ion release and one can conclude this surface modification procedure can be safely done.