Drugs eluting dental implants

Titanium dental implants have demonstrated an excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties in addition to their good corrosion resistance. Recently, drug-loaded dental implants have been explored to achieve localized drug elution to achieve various therapeutic effects. The prolonged drug elution from dental implants can be achieved by several techniques for a range of drugs including antimicrobial agents and bisphosphonates to provide targeted drug delivery and therapeutic actions. Although a number of in vitro, in vivo animal model and experimental studies have reported drug elution from dental implants, further clinical research is a prerequisite prior to considering drug eluting dental implants for clinical application. This chapter discusses the current and potential approaches in relation to drug elution and their significance in dental implants. In addition, the localized drug delivery (from polymer and ceramic coatings) and bulk drug release from the surface of metallic implants have been discussed.