Titanium for Orthopedic Applications: An Overview of Surface Modification to Improve Biocompatibility and Prevent Bacterial Biofilm Formation

, innovation in surface modification has attracted much attention in the effort to develop orthopedic materials with optimal characteristics at the biomaterial-tissue interface. This review will draw together metallurgy, surface engineering, biofilm microbiology, and biomaterial science. It will serve to appreciate why titanium and its alloys are frequently used orthopedic biomaterials and address some of the challenges facing these biomaterials currently, including the significant problem of device-associated infection. Finally, the authors shall consolidate and evaluate surface modification techniques employed to overcome some of these issues by offering a unique perspective as to the direction in which research is headed from a broad, interdisciplinary point of view.