Eleven-year study of hydroxyapatite implants.

An 11-year clinical research study was conducted with both unloaded bulk hydroxyapatite implants and loaded hydroxyapatite-coated titanium implants. A total of 102 submerged bulk hydroxyapatite implants were placed after extraction of teeth to maintain the volume of the residual alveolar ridge by their physical presence. All 21 implants under fixed partial dentures and 51 of 81 implants under lower complete dentures remained submucosal. A total of 71 hydroxyapatite-coated titanium implants were connected with permucosal superstructures by use of a two-stage method. Modifications in design and in implantation technique were required. This long-term research indicates that cylindrical hydroxyapatite implants are reliable devices as natural tooth root substitutes that bond directly to bone instead of simply being osseointegrated.