The effect of calcium phosphate implant coating on osteoconduction.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine whether a calcium phosphate (CaP) coating would have a significant impact on osteoconduction.


METHODS
In this investigation, porous-surfaced titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) implants were prepared with or without the addition of a thin surface layer of CaP applied by means of sol-gel coating and implanted into the tibiae of 16 rabbits. Implant sites were allowed to heal for 2 weeks, after which specimens were retrieved for morphometric assessment by using backscatter scanning electron microscopy and the Bioquant Image Analyzer.


RESULTS
The absolute contact length was significantly (P <.01) higher for CaP-coated implants (1.18 mm) than for the noncoated implants (0.74 mm), as were the contact length fraction (40.4% vs 27.0%; P <.01) and the straight-line bone growth (1.19 mm vs 1.04 mm; P <.01).


CONCLUSIONS
On the basis of the findings in this study, the addition of a thin layer of CaP to the implant promotes accelerated bone healing around porous-surfaced implants-even after only 2 weeks of initial healing.
Yang
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Stomatology Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
D000497:Alloys; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002130:Calcium Phosphates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020007:Implants, Experimental; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D011817:Rabbits; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013977:Tibia / Q000601:surgery; D014025:Titanium
D000497:Alloys; D002130:Calcium Phosphates; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; C485828:alpha-tricalcium phosphate; C485830:tetracalcium phosphate; C031462:titanium alloy (TiAl6V4); C485838:calcium phosphate, monobasic, anhydrous; C020243:calcium phosphate; D014025:Titanium; C485829:calcium phosphate, dibasic, anhydrous