Hydroxyapatite coatings in implant dentistry.

Hydroxyapatite coatings have shown promise due to the enhanced integration of osseous tissues to coated implant surfaces. When compared with healing around commercially pure or titanium alloy implant surfaces, hydroxyapatite-coated implants appear to be superior in sites which are compromised in either quantity or quality of bone. In spite of these encouraging findings, the long-term stability of the hydroxyapatite/bone interface has been challenged. Microbiologically, the hydroxyapatite-coated implant surface may be at an increased risk to bacterial plaque. However, after 8 years of clinical utilization, the hydroxyapatite-coated implant surface has not been shown to be predisposed to increased long-term failure. Available research as it pertains to this controversial area of implant dentistry is reviewed.