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Pure titanium and its alloy (Ti–6Al–4V) are widely used materials for different implant applications, such as dental implants and cementless hip prosthesis. When titanium is exposed to oxygen, an oxidized layer covers the metal surface, inhibiting the deposition of fibrous tissue, thus creating a direct contact between the implant and newly formed bone tissue at the micrometer scale.
Changes in bone material properties and microstructure around the rough bone-implant interface _x005fbone tissue located at approximately 100–200μm from the implant surface are determinant for the quality of osseointegration. In particular, substantial gaps may exist between bone and the implant, due to inevitable geometrical misfit between bone cavity realized by the surgeon and the implant geometry. Such gaps may lead to intolerable relative bone-implant micromotions and compromise the implant primary stability, which may therefore affect the clinical outcome of the surgery. A better understanding and characterization of the microscopic biomechanical properties of newly formed bone tissue may lead to more accurate prediction of implant osseointegration.