Alumina ceramic with a porous surface coated with glass-ceramic containing apatite and wollastonite (AW-GC) was implanted in a state of press-fit under load-bearing conditions in the femoral condylus of the mongrel dog and compared with a non-glass-ceramic-coated alumina ceramic. A trapezoid alumina ceramic implant (7 x 10 x 5 mm) with a lateral recess (0.9 mm deep) coated with alumina ceramic beads (mean diameter, 750 microns) in a single layer was prepared. The alumina ceramic beads were bonded to the alumina ceramic substratum using an identical alumina binder. The thickness of coating was 10-50 microns (mean, 30 microns). The surface of the beads and the substratum of the alumina implant were coated with AW-GC. A pull-out test and histologic examination were performed at 4, 8, and 24 weeks after implantation. The interfacial shear load was significantly increased from 8 to 24 weeks in both groups. The shear load of the glass-ceramic-coated implant was significantly greater than that of the noncoated implant at every stage. The interface shear load of the noncoated implant was 12.13 +/- 2.76 kg at 4 weeks, 13.92 +/- 4.18 kg at 8 weeks, and 24.17 +/- 5.17 kg at 24 weeks after implantation. The interface shear load of the glass-ceramic-coated implant was 17.96 +/- 2.81 kg at 4 weeks, 24.92 +/- 9.87 kg at 8 weeks, and 34.83 +/- 4.12 kg at 24 weeks after implantation. Histologic examination showed more ingrown bone tissue in the glass-ceramic-coated implants. It is suggested that AW-GC stimulated the bone ingrowth.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)