| Summary: | The osseointegration of zirconia (ZrO<sub>2</sub>) implants is still controversial. In this study, we aimed to make clear the influence of surface chemical composition, Ti or ZrO<sub>2</sub>, to osseointegration. First, a roughened Ti surface was prepared with a combination of large-grit sandblasting and acid treatment. Then, we applied molecular precursor solution containing Zr complex onto roughened Ti surface and can deposit thin ZrO<sub>2</sub> film onto roughened Ti surface. We can change surface chemical composition from Ti to ZrO<sub>2</sub> without changing the surface structure and roughness of roughened Ti. The tetragonal Zr was uniformly present on the ZrO<sub>2</sub>-coated Ti surface, and the surface of the ZrO<sub>2</sub>-coated Ti showed a higher apparent zeta potential than Ti. Ti and ZrO<sub>2</sub>-coated Ti rectangular plate implant was placed into the femur bone defect. After 2 and 4 weeks of implantation, histomorphometric observation revealed that the bone-to-implant contact ratio and the bone mass values for ZrO<sub>2</sub>-coated Ti implants inserted into the femur bone defects of the rats at 2 weeks were significantly higher than those for Ti implants (<i>p</i> < 0.05). It revealed that ZrO<sub>2</sub> with a similar surface structure and roughness as that of roughened Ti promoted osteogenesis equivalent to or better than that of Ti in the early bone formation stage.
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