Typical electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) membranes revealing potential hydrophobicity and inflammation from acid release during degradation are major drawbacks as an ideal guided tissue regeneration (GTR) barrier. This study investigated the in vitro degradation properties of electrospun PLA/beta‐tricalcium phosphate (β‐TCP) membranes treated by polyethylene oxide dip‐coating process. After surface modification, the membranes revealed good wettability in contact angle measurement. The addition of β‐TCP can render good pH buffering properties for electrospun PLA membranes during the in vitro degradation test. The mechanical properties of the hybrid membrane showed no significant difference in suture pullout force at a dried or wetted state. For cell adhesion and proliferation, the membranes with hydrophilicity can enhance the cell attachment at early stage. Overall, these results show that electrospinning combined with dip coating is a feasible processing technology for producing hydrophilic fibrous GTR membranes. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers.

Introduction: The objective of this in vitro study is to evaluate the effective and long-term occlusion of dentinal tubules using a novel calcium lactate phosphate (CLP) based desensitizing agent. Methods: Dentin disks (n = 9) were pre-etched using 1 M lactic acid for 30 s and individually treated with Colgate® Pro-Relief™ paste, CLP paste, and double distilled water (ddH2O) by a rubber-cupped handpiece. Dentin disks were analyzed under optical micrographs for pre-treatment, directly after treatment, and 14 days post-treatment. One-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey’s test were used to determine whether there were any statistically significant differences in dentinal tubule diameter. Results: A significant decrease occurred in the mean tubule diameter for dentin disks treated with CLP paste. A decrease was observed from 3.52 ± 0.83 µm to 2.62 ± 0.42 µm right after treatment, further decreasing to 1.71 ± 0.45 µm after immersion in artificial saliva for 14 days (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The results suggest that the CLP based desensitizing paste has remineralization properties and provides instant and lasting effectiveness in dentinal tubule occlusion.

The success of many endosseous implants in orthopaedic and dental applications depends on the surface characteristics, as they affect osseous integration. Previous investigations indicated that a novel large-grit sand-blasted and acid-etched (SLA) titanium (denoted as SLAffinity-Ti) implant had better bone integration than that of a comparably shaped implant with a plasma-sprayed titanium surface. The purpose of the present investigation was to create a SLAffinity surface on pedicle screws and trauma screws and to compare it with the surfaces of a sand-blasted-only implant and commercial implants in terms of bone integration. The cortical bone and spine of twelve minipigs were implanted with 3 and 4 implants, respectively, and the bone integration was evaluated using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), mechanical tests (pull-out strength and stripping torque), and histological analysis (toluidine blue and hematoxylin and eosin staining) one and three months after implantation. The micro-CT images showed that the gap between the bone and implant was consistently higher in the sand-blasted-only and commercial groups compared to that in the SLAffinity group 1 and 3 months after implantation. Moreover, the bone volume of implant inserted into bone and the percentage of implant inside bone tissue were greater in the SLAffinity screws 1 and 3 months after implantation, as compared to the sand-blasted and commercial screws. In the mechanical tests, the removal torque and pull-out strength (p < 0.05) were higher in the SLAffinity group at 1 and 3 months. The histological results were consistent with mechanical testing, showing that the SLAffinity group had the most mineralized matrix, the most bone formation around the screws, and the most bone cells in bone tissue. These findings indicate that a SLAffinity surface can effectively enhance the holding strength and integration of pedicle screws and cortical screws, promoting early healing and improving outcomes, compared to sand-blasted-only and commercial implants.

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