Straumann SLActive
Also known as: SLActive, SLActive surface
Straumann’s hydrophilic implant surface: the same blasted and acid-etched topography as its SLA surface, with an altered surface chemistry intended to make it wettable and chemically active.
Key facts
| Manufacturer | Institut Straumann AGVerified spec[1] |
|---|---|
| Production process | Straumann states that the surface "is based on the scientifically proven SLA topography" and that "in addition, it has a fundamentally improved hydrophilic surface chemistry".Manufacturer-reported[2] |
| Topography | Straumann describes the topography as that of the SLA surface; the stated difference is chemical, not topographical.Manufacturer-reported[2] |
| Surface roughness | Manufacturer documentation not located(Straumann states that SLActive shares the SLA topography but the documents we read do not give a separate Sa figure for SLActive itself.) |
| Manufacturer-described indication | Straumann states that SLActive reduces healing times from six to eight weeks down to three to four weeks, and describes it as increasing treatment predictability in critical protocols.Manufacturer-reported[2][1] |
| Clinical evidence | Straumann reports 50 per cent new bone on the implant surface at four weeks for SLActive against 30 per cent for SLA, and states that bone-to-implant contact was greater at two weeks and significantly greater at four weeks for SLActive (p below 0.05).Manufacturer-reported[2][3]Manufacturer-selected comparative data. The claim concerns the speed of early healing, not the eventual outcome. |
| Geographic availability | Offered in Roxolid on Straumann Bone Level Tapered, BLX and TLX implants.Manufacturer-reported[1][4][5] |
| Predecessor system | Straumann positions SLActive as a chemical modification of its SLA surface.Manufacturer-reported[2] |
Overview
SLActive is frequently described to patients as a rougher or more advanced texture, and it is neither. Straumann’s own documents are explicit that the topography is the SLA topography; what changes is the surface chemistry, which is engineered so that the implant is wetted immediately by blood rather than repelling it. The claim that follows is specifically about the early weeks - Straumann puts the reduction at six to eight weeks down to three to four - and the supporting figures the company publishes are early-healing measurements, not long-term survival differences. That distinction matters when a clinic quotes SLActive as a reason for a higher price: the argument for it is strongest where early loading, soft bone or a compromised site makes the first month the risky part of the treatment, and correspondingly weaker in a straightforward case where nothing is going to be loaded for three months anyway. It is also worth knowing that the same idea, a hydrophilic finish on a blasted and etched surface, is sold by several other manufacturers under their own names.
Sources
Numbers match the citations beside each claim above.
Primary sources
- [1]Straumann Bone Level Tapered Implant — Technical Information (702167/en) — Institut Straumann AG. Accessed 2026-07-21.
- [2]Straumann Smart — Smart Product Descriptions: SLActive surface (490.215) — Institut Straumann AG. Accessed 2026-07-21.
- [3]Straumann Dental Implant System — Basic Information (702084/en) — Institut Straumann AG, 2025. Accessed 2026-07-21.
- [4]Straumann BLX Implant System — Basic and Technical Information (702115/en) — Institut Straumann AG. Accessed 2026-07-21.
- [5]Straumann TLX Implant System — Basic and Technical Information (702854/en) — Institut Straumann AG, 2024. Accessed 2026-07-21.