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.Study Design: 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). CONCLUSION: 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.