Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of hydroxyapatite coated titanium (Ha-Ti) dental implants in graft sites of particulate cancellous bone and marrow (PCBM), with and without hydroxyapatite particles (HAP). In 76 rabbits, defects were created and restored by PCBM with (MIX group) or without (PCBM group) HAP. The implants were supported in position by titanium meshes in the mandible. In one half of the rabbits, the HA-Ti implants were placed immediately (IM group), and in the other half, the implants were placed 90 days after the graft (90D group). The animals were then killed 7, 14, 30, 60 and 90 days after placement of the HA-Ti implants. The healing process was examined histologically, and histomorphometric measurements were made using a computer-based image analyzer to quantify the rate of implant-bone bonding (IBB-ratio). In the IM and MIX groups, the IBB-ratio was lower than in the other groups in the first 30 days after implantation. After 30 days, there was very little difference in the IBB-ratios among the four groups.
