Macrophage behavior and interplay with gingival fibroblasts cultured on six commercially available titanium, zirconium, and titanium-zirconium dental implants.

The present study found that implant surface topography and chemistry substantially impacted macrophage behavior. Most notably, modifications via hydrophilicity to both the pure Ti and Ti-Zi were shown to favor the secretion of macrophage pro-resolution markers and favored subsequent gingival fibroblast cell behavior when cultured with CM, whereas surface composition (Ti vs ZLA vs Ti-Zi) had little effect on macrophage polarization or gingival fibroblast behavior. This finding suggests that surface hydrophilicity would improve the soft tissue integration of dental implants, irrespective of material composition.