Enhanced hydrophilicity and tribological behavior of dental zirconia ceramics based on picosecond laser surface texturing

Zirconia ceramics are promising restorative materials that are being extensively used in clinical dental prosthodontics such as inlays, implant crowns and fixed bridges due to their high strength, high toughness, high corrosion resistance and excellent esthetical effects. However, in addition to the superior mechanical and physical properties, the biocompatibility is a more important index to evaluate the performance of the ceramic implant dentures. The aim of the current work is to improve the biocompatibility of zirconia ceramic implants by surface modification. To achieve this goal, a bionic design method was used to imitate the natural human perikymata structure and a series of microtextures were fabricated on the zirconia surfaces by the picosecond laser processing. The effectiveness of the microtextures on the biocompatibility of zirconia ceramics was quantified in terms of the contact angle, the friction coefficient and the surface wear signatures. The results indicate that the laser texturing has a significant effect on the wettability and the tribological behavior of zirconia ceramic dental implants. To improve the biocompatibility of the zirconia ceramic implants, a smaller groove width with an appropriate groove depth is favorable.