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science & practice 25th EAO Annual Scientific Meeting 17 Scientists at the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol have recently discovered a new way to improve the bond between tita- nium implants and bone. They found that a bioactive lipid called lysophos- phatidic acid (LPA) interacts with vi- tamin D to enhance bone-forming cell function. Based on this finding, the re- searchers have developed an LPA coating for titanium implants to help strengthen the bonding properties of implants to bone. “Many implants used in surgery are made out of titanium. These in- clude joint replacements, screws and plates for fixing broken bones and dental implants,” said Dr Jason Mansell, a senior lecturer in Biomedi- cal Sciences at UWE Bristol, who led the study. “Implants work well when the pa- tient’s own bone joins onto the tita- nium using the body’s own natural healing processes. When this join forms properly it is extremely strong, however in some cases, the patient’s bone fails to join strongly to the tita- nium and therefore the prosthesis works loose and ultimately fails,” Mansell explained. Although the success rates of dental implants are high, ranging be- tween 88 and 99 per cent in the liter- ature, several factors, such as bone quality and quantity, as well as infec- tion, can cause dental implants to fail, making reimplantation necessary. The new LPA coating, developed by the researchers could further im- prove the success rate of dental im- plant treatments. LPA is a naturally occurring fatty molecule that acts with vitamin D to promote bone-forming cell function, the researchers discovered. “This is a very exciting discovery as few agents are known to enhance the actions of vitamin D on bone forming cells. Vita- min D is vital for bone health because it enhances bone forming cell func- tion. Therefore, agents that can co-op- erate with vitamin D could find place as a coating on titanium to encourage better bonding to the patient’s bone,” Mansell said. Based on this knowledge, the sci- entists developed an LPA coating for titanium implants. “We have found a way of joining LPA onto titanium us- ing a simple process at room temper- ature. Recently we also discovered that our novel coating also deterred the attachment of bacteria, this is particularly exciting as it means we have a potential dual-action tita- nium implant material,” Mansell stated. The next stage of the project, which is currently seeking further funding, will examine the robustness and stability of the coating, as it would need to withstand the rigors of storage, sterilisation and the physical forces it would be exposed to when implanted into the body. The study, titled “Fluorophospho- nate-functionalised titanium via a pre-adsorbed alkane phosphonic acid: A novel dual action surface finish for bone regenerative applications”, was published online ahead of print in the Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine on 24 December 2015. New discovery helps strengthen bonding of titanium implants to bone Journey into a new dental experience with speed, precision and great results. Visit www.fotona.com today! The universe at your fingertips. The highest technology dental laser system 88897/25 Unmatched simplicity of use: Balanced and weightless OPTOflex® arm Nd:YAG handpiece detection system Quantum Square Pulse technology for fast minimally invasive treatments X-RunnerTM - the first digitally controlled Er:YAG dental laser handpiece Supreme clinical results: TwinLight® Perio Treatments TwinLight® Endo Treatments No-sutures soft-tissue surgery Patient-friendly conservative dentistry Pre-sets for over 40 applications Fotona App Visit our Booth S 23 AD © Chepko Danil Vitalevich/Shutterstock.com