Freeze-dried bone and coralline implants compared in the dog.

Partially demineralized, antigen-extracted, freeze-dried cadaver bone and a hydroxyapatite replica of a marine coral skeleton were implanted in 30 surgically created two-wall intrabony pockets in two dogs. Results after 6 and 8 months showed connective tissue encapsulation and some periodontal ligament formation around the cadaver bone. In contrast, the coralline implant was consistently invaded by fibrovascular tissue, showed bone formation on its internal surfaces and had some periodontal ligament formation around it.