Behavior of calcium phosphate coatings with different chemistries in bone.

Calcium phosphate ceramic coatings with a hydroxyapatite chemistry applied on the surface of dental implants eliminate the need for initial mechanical retention and decrease the time necessary for bonding the implants to the bone. Hydroxyapatite-coated implants retrieved from patients were found to be compatible and to have bonded strongly to the bone, but the coatings showed thinning because of partial or total loss of coating material. This study compared the behavior in bone of newly developed fluorapatite and heat-treated hydroxyapatite coatings, with the clinically used hydroxyapatite coatings used as controls in experimental studies in dogs. The biologic responses to fluorapatite and heat-treated hydroxyapatite coatings were the same as those to hydroxyapatite coatings, and bone condensation around all coatings was histologically evident. However, the coating thickness of the fluorapatite and heat-treated hydroxyapatite coatings remained stable with only minor changes during the observation period of 24 months.