Tissue response to subperiosteal implantation of dense hydroxyapatite: case report

Hydroxyapatite is becoming a popular implant material, yet reports on the tissue response it evokes in humans have been few in number and are based on relatively short periods of implantation. In the present case, implant material became available when it proved necessary to modify an alveolar ridge augmentation procedure carried out 18 month previously. Histology showed that whilst some parts of the implanted material were embedded only in fibrous tissue, others had become fully integrated within partly remodelled bony trabeculae. These findings confirm the status of hydroxyapatite as a biocompatible implant material and provide further evidence of its bone-bonding and osteoconductive capacities.