“…2 In the past, attempts for an optimization of the dental implant surface mainly focused on the interaction between titanium (as the material of choice for most constructs) and bone tissue. Modification of the titanium surface, e.g., by altering its hydrophilicity, 3 by providing integrin binding ligands or growth factor motifs, 4,5 by structural modifications, 6,7 or combinations of the latter 8,9 have been analyzed for an enhancement of cell growth, adhesion, and/or differentiation of osteoblasts, osteoblastlike cells, or mesenchymal stem cells. While such functionalizations frequently induced alterations in one of the parameters mentioned above, many of them have not been evaluated for an optimization of the balance between proliferation and differentiation, which is required for optimized osseointegration.…”