Laser micro & nano surface texturing for enhancing osseointegration and antimicrobial effect of biomaterials: A review

The worldwide significant rise of orthopedic and dental implant surgeries in the last decade is a matter of concern. The rate of subsequent failure of implants and revision surgeries are also considerable. Insufficient osseointegration and bacterial infections are the major causes of implant failure. The present methods of surface coatings and surface modifications are inadequate for long term stability. Over this scenario, laser surface texturing (LST) is the most promising method which has precise control over surface topography, morphology, wettability, and chemistry which makes this technique suitable for manufacturing biocompatible, antibacterial, and early bone healing surfaces. Researchers experimented with grooves, dimples, micro, and nano-texture patterns for optimizing cell adhesion and proliferation. Nanopillars, nano-ripples, spikes, LIPSS surface structures are used for examining antibacterial behaviour. Very few research papers discussed the combined approach for developing implant material having bio activeness and antibacterial behaviour. This paper explores the improvement of physical, biocompatible, antibacterial properties through LST. The introduction of challenges and future trends of the field will certainly help to investigate the new directions of biomaterial research.