Effect of t-ZrO2-Based Ceramic Samples on the Condition of Muscular and Connecting Tissues in Experimental Animals with Intramuscular Introduction

Abstract

A highly dispersed powder (9–10 nm) based on a tetragonal solid solution of partially stabilized zirconia (t-ZrO₂) was synthesized by coprecipitation of hydroxides from salt solutions. On the basis of this powder, nanocrystalline ceramic (grain size 60–70 nm) with high physicochemical and mechanical characteristics was obtained: degree of tetragonality c/a, 1.438–1.431; flexural strength, 900–1000 MPa; Vickers hardness, 13–14 GPa; crack resistance, 10–11 MPa m^1/2. The ceramic implant obtained was placed into bodies of experimental animals. The response of soft tissues of experimental animals to the introduction of zirconia-based ceramic plates was investigated. The studies showed no toxic effect of the t-ZrO₂-based ceramic implant on the tissues surrounding the implant and the organism of laboratory animals in the period from 30 to 195 days from the moment of implantation. The results of in vivo studies suggest that the obtained nanoscale bioceramic can be used in restorative dentistry and endoprosthetics as dental implants, endoprostheses, and bone fragments for transplantology.