Abstract

One of the many characteristics of an implant that must be improved is its surface topography. Cells are able to respond differently lo the degree of substratum roughness. In this work, we investigated the adhesión of human primary osteoblast-like cells to differently roughened titanium dental implants. Using HOB cells pulsed with |3H|-thymidine, we could infer that smooth surfaces show a significant decrease in adhesión rates. Scanning electrón microscopy of HOB cells adhered to titanium discs and implants showed that cells orient themselves along grooves of the substrate. Most cell cultures on smooth surfaces form continuous monolayers. while those grown on rougher ones are unable to. We conclude that cells grown on rough surfaces adhere better than those grown on their smooth counterparts. The biological reasons for such behavior are further discussed.