Genotoxicity of corrosion eluates obtained from endosseous implants

PURPOSE: Commercially pure titanium alloys are currently used as metallic biomaterials in implantology. Corrosion phenomena appear to play a decisive role in metallic implant long-term behavior. Thus, the goal of this study was to examine the genotoxic potential of corrosion eluates obtained from dental implants using Chinese ovary hamster cells in vitro by the single-cell gel (comet) assay. This technique detects deoxyribonucleic acid strand breaks in individual cells in alkaline conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The materials tested included 3 dental implants commercially available. Each of the tested materials was corroded in a solution consisting of equal amounts of acetic acid and sodium chloride (0.1 M) for 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days. The Chinese ovary hamster cultures were then exposed to all corrosion eluates obtained from endosseous dental implants for 30 minutes at 37 degrees C. RESULTS: None of the eluates was found to exhibit genotoxicity, regardless of the type of dental implant used. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that all dental implants tested in this study did not induce deoxyribonucleic acid breakage as depicted by the single-cell gel (comet) assay.