INVESTIGATING THE PERFORMANCE PROPERTIES OF GLASS-COMPOSITE COATINGS FOR DENTAL IMPLANTS

Relevance. Coatings based on bioactive glass are widely used in maxillofacial and orthopedic implantology due to their ability to osseointegration, degradation control and bone compatibility. At the same time, when implants are operated in loaded areas, glass coatings experience mechanical loads, thermal fluctuations and the effects of an aggressive biological environment, which places high demands on their crack resistance, adhesion and thermo-mechanical stability. Objective. To carry out a comparative evaluation of the performance characteristics of the new bioactive coating for the dental implant FAR-5X and its analogue, aimed at identifying potential advantages in mechanical stability and compatibility with the titanium base. Materials and methods. This study presents a comparative analysis of the mechanical properties of two glass–ceramic composite coatings, FAR-5X and FAR-5.3/E, designed for application on titanium implants. The analysis focused on key mechanical parameters, including the coefficient of thermal linear expansion, Vickers microhardness, fracture toughness, Young’s modulus, and adhesion strength. All measurements were performed on seven samples of each coating type using standard micro-mechanical testing methods. Statistical processing was conducted using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc test. Results. The developed glass composite coating FAR-5X demonstrates a set of high-performance characteristics due to its nanostructured morphology obtained through optimized thermal treatment. This approach promotes a homogeneous distribution of the crystalline phase within the amorphous matrix, enhancing the material’s mechanical integrity. The results revealed a statistically significant higher coefficient of thermal linear expansion value in the FAR-5X coating compared to FAR-5.3/E (p < 0.05), indicating improved thermomechanical compatibility with the titanium substrate. A statistically significant difference between the coatings was found only in the coefficient of linear thermal expansion, indicating better thermal compatibility of FAR-5X with the titanium base. No significant differences were observed in microhardness, fracture resistance, elastic modulus, or adhesion strength, confirming comparable mechanical integrity between the coatings. Conclusion. The findings suggest that the newly developed FAR-5X coating offers advantageous thermal expansion behavior while maintaining the necessary mechanical robustness, supporting its potential application as a bioactive coating in orthopedic and dental implant systems.