Drug eluting titanium implants for localised drug delivery

Titanium and its alloys are considered as one of the mainstream materials for fabricating orthopaedic and dental implants. In spite of their satisfactory success rate, implant failure is reported in terms of poor osseointegration, bone resorption and postsurgical infections. Localised drug delivery through implant has gained immense interest due to its flexibility in delivering different drugs directly to target site and addressing dose-related adverse effects. Surface modification through coating or adsorption is used to fabricate drug eluting titanium implants. Currently two approaches are in use. First involves modification of implant surface or pores with drug loaded carrier (polymers, ceramics, or composite). Other is to load drug to the implant material itself without drug carrier. Controlled drug release and mechanical and physical stability of coated or adsorbed materials are the major researched areas. Review discusses the current advancements in both the approaches for developing multifunctional titanium implants for localised drug delivery. Graphical abstract