Objective: Some reports showed the benefits of dental implants coated with hydroxyapatite, while some other studies found no significant difference between HA-coated implants and non-coated implants. The present study was to examine the osseointegration of HA-coated and non-coated implants in dogs.
Methods: Twelve implants, 6 HA-coated and 6 non-coated were placed into mandibles of six dogs after teeth extraction. Animals were sacrificed after 1, 3, 6 months, respectively. Initial healing and the bone-implant interface were histomorphometrically assessed using light microscopy.
Results: All implants osseointegrated; however, the ingrowth and development of new bone tissue onto HA-coated implants surface were sooner than that of non-coated ones. The index of bone osseointegration of HA-coated implants was higher than that of non-coated ones. After 1,3,6 months the osseointegration of HA-coated implants were 71.68%, 86.81%, 90.19%; While the non-coated ones'were 53.26%, 66.16%, 68.72%. The differences of them were very significant.
Conclusion: HA-coated implants enhanced initial bone tissue ingrowth and development and thus benefited the osseointegration of implants.