Bone responses to rough titanium implants coated with biomimetic Ca-P in rabbit tibia.

A new technique to biomimetic deposition calcium phosphate (BDCaP) coating onto rough titanium substrates has been developed recently. This biomimetic deposition technique seems to be promising. It appears to have some advantages such as an inexpensive and simple set-up, and the possibility to synthesize layers with a defined surface morphology. The aim of this study was to examine the bone responses to BDCaP-coated implants in a rabbit model. Thirty one implants (16 BDCaP and 15 rough) were inserted into both tibia of 15 rabbits. After 2, 4, and 8 weeks following the implantation, the tibias were retrieved and prepared for histological evaluation. After 2 weeks, BDCaP-coated implant showed more bone ingrowth inside threads than the rough implants in medullary region (31.43% vs. 24.38%). Histological and quantitative histomorphometrical measurements demonstrated no more bone ingrowth and bone-implant contact for coated implant as compared with uncoated implant in cortical region at all experiment periods. From the histological viewpoint, the BDCaP coating did not have any positive effect on new bone formation.