The advantages of coated titanium implants prepared by radiofrequency sputtering from hydroxyapatite

The method used to apply hydroxyapatite to implant surfaces may affect the thickness and ultimately the physical properties of the coating. This study investigated and compared the healing rates of bone around commercially pure titanium implants and titanium implants sputter-coated from a hydroxyapatite target. Forty-five sputter-coated implants and an equal number of noncoated titanium implants were placed into 15 partially edentulated dog mandibles. The implants were removed at three time periods and were evaluated mechanically and histologically. A multiple analysis of variance indicated that the interface bond strength was statistically greater (p less than 0.01) for the sputter-coated implants. Histologic analysis of the bone-implant interface demonstrated that coated implants had nearly twice the percentage of direct bone contact compared with noncoated implants. The results indicate that implants sputter-coated from a hydroxyapatite target will accelerate the healing of bone at the implant interface.