Medical Implants with Enhanced Osseointegration

摘要

Medical implants with non-equilibrium surface structures are disclosed. The surface treatment of the implants greatly enhances osseointegration, reduces time to recovery following implant surgery, reduces surgery-related infections, and improves outcomes. The implants, including dental implants and other implants for insertion into or attachment to bone, are applicable to treatment of a wide variety of medical conditions. The methods of altering the surface properties of medical implants include exposure of a crystalline surface material, such as metal or ceramic, to a short burst of high thermal energy or shock, resulting in the introduction of a non-equilibrium concentration of crystal lattice defects in a surface layer.

主权项

1. A method of treating a medical implant comprising a crystalline surface material to promote protein adsorption to said surface material, the method comprising the steps of:
heating the surface material to form a surface layer comprising crystal lattice defects; and thermally quenching the surface layer so as to preserve a non-equilibrium concentration of said defects.