Facile silane modification of titanium dental implants achieves a consensus of osseointegration and antibacterial activity

Implant loosening and peri-implant infection are two prime complications of dental implants. The existing surface modifications on titanium implants either lack antimicrobial activity while preserving osseointegration or impede osseointegration while being antibacterial. Herein, we report a facile, scalable, solution dip-coating of (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) layers on titanium implant surface that offers a concurrent efficacy of osseointegration and antibacterial capabilities. The coatings are chemically stably bound to the implants and exhibit long-lasting favorable osseointegration both in vitro and in vivo . We find an ∼3-fold enhancement in the expression of osteogenic genes and a >75% increase in calcium deposition and ALP activities, as revealed that the APTES coatings downregulate ID3 expression to promote osteogenic differentiation in mesenchymal stem cells. More importantly, they demonstrate superior sterilization against pathogenic bacteria of peri-implant infection. This study holds good prospect on a wide range of practical applications in reinforcing titanium implantation and accelerating post-implantation recovery concurrently.