The effect of Ca-P plasma-sprayed coatings on the initial bone healing of oral implants: an experimental study in the goat.

The response of bone of low density to uncoated, fluorapatite (FA), hydroxyapatite (HA), and hydroxyapatite heat treated (HAHT) plasma-sprayed coated implants was investigated 3 and 6 months after installation. Forty-eight threaded implants of commercially pure titanium were inserted into the maxilla of twelve goats according to a split-plot design. One goat died shortly after installation of the implants, five goats were sacrificed 3 months after installation, and the other six goats 6 months after installation. Histological evaluation revealed no difference in bone reaction between the 3- and 6-month implantation periods. In addition, probably due to the wide inter- and intra-animal variability, no significant difference between the 3- and the 6-month periods could be observed in the histomorphometrical measurements performed. Further, no significant differences were found in bone reaction among the various implant materials. Finally, qualitatively it appeared that all coatings showed reduction in coating thickness and that such reductions were most pronounced for the HA coatings.