ABSTRACT

Titanium implants are routinely placed as a replacement for damaged/diseased bone/teeth in orthopaedics and dentistry. However, the long-term success of titanium implants may be challenged, especially in patients with ongoing conditions. To augment implant bioactivity and achieve local elution of therapeutics, surface modification of titanium has shown promising outcomes, both in terms of augmenting integration between implant and tissue and reducing bacterial infection. Supramolecular modification of Ti-based implants including lysozyme or biopolymer-based self-assemblies has shown favourable outcomes in terms of achieving effective anti-biofouling while preserving or enhancing the bioactivity. Interestingly, there is a research and review gap in this domain, which we aim to address in this chapter. We take a close look at the need for surface modification of Ti implants and the various attempts that have been made using supramolecular self-assembly, nano-engineering using anodization, and the combination of both.