title: Development and applications of porous tantalum trabecular metal-enhanced titanium dental implants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Porous tantalum trabecular metal has recently been incorporated in titanium dental implants as a new form of implant surface enhancement. However, there is little information on the applications of this material in implant dentistry.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this article is to summarize the contemporary concept on the applications of porous tantalum trabecular metal in implant dentistry.
  
  
  METHODS
  We therefore review the current literature on the basic science and clinical uses of this material.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Porous tantalum metal is used to improve the contact between osseous structure and dental implants and therefore presumably facilitate osseointegration. Success of porous tantalum metal in orthopedic implants led to the incorporation of porous tantalum metal in the design of root-form endosseous titanium implants. The porous tantalum three-dimensional enhancement of titanium dental implant surface allows for combining bone ongrowth together with bone ingrowth, or osseoincorporation. While little is known about the biological aspect of the porous tantalum in the oral cavity, there seems to be several possible advantages of this implant design. This article reviews the biological aspects of porous tantalum-enhanced titanium dental implants, in particular the effects of anatomical consideration and oral environment to implant designs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We propose here possible clinical situations and applications for this type of dental implant. Advantages and disadvantages of the implants as well as needed future clinical studies are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Sompop
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bencharit
authors.forename: Warren C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Byrd
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Altarawneh
authors.forename: Bashir
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hosseini
authors.forename: Austin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.forename: Glenn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reside
authors.forename: Thiago
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morelli
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Offenbacher
mesh_terms: D000069343:Bone-Implant Interface / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D015921:Dental Implants; D003764:Dental Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D016348:Osseointegration / Q000502:physiology; D016062:Porosity; D013499:Surface Properties; D013635:Tantalum / Q000737:chemistry*; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants; D003764:Dental Materials; D013635:Tantalum; D014025:Titanium
keywords: immediate loading; implant; implant design; implant surface; osseointegration; surface properties