Bone Tissue Response to Plasma Sprayed Hydroxyapatite Coatings: An in Vivo Study on Rabbit Femoral Condyles

In this study, hydroxyapatite was coated on titanium substrates by plasmaspraying process. a well-known porous and lamellar microstructure was found inthe lateral and outer surface of coating. the phase composition was studied by xrdand the morphological and the microstructural aspects were investigated by scanningelectron and optical microscopy. the hardness of coatings and substrates wasmeasured by vickers indentation method. for in vivo study, rabbit condyles wereexposed to two groups of coated and uncoated samples. radiographyically, differentparameters such as bone lysis, sclerosis, displacement of samples and bone resorption. were taken into consideration and no statistically differences between the twogroups, with no sign of infection on the edges of each hole were found. histopathologicalinterpretation of all coated samples indicated that the extent of callus andthickness of speculae were quite distinct from that of uncoated group. in this group ,the space between implant and canal was filled up with matured connective tissuesand plenty of bone speculae of woven bone in nature. however, these speculaes werethinner and immature as compared to coated samples.