Research News: Interactions of biomaterials with hard and soft tissue, blood, or saliva are primarily controlled by the surface properties of the materials. Titanium and its alloys, in particular, have been shown to be biocompatible for many orthopedic and dental implant applications, but the surfaces of the metal still need modification in order to achieve bioactive or bioinert performance. Current methods and future trends in surface treatment of dental implant materials are presented and phenomena at the implant-bioenvironment interface highlighted.