Osteogenic responses to zirconia with hydroxyapatite coating by aerosol deposition

Previously,we found that osteogenic responses to zirconia co-doped with niobium oxide (nb2o5) or tantalum oxide (ta2o5) are comparable with responses to titanium,which is widely used as a dental implant material. the present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro osteogenic potential of hydroxyapatite (ha)-coated zirconia by an aerosol deposition method for improved osseointegration. surface analysis by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction proved that a thin as-deposited ha film on zirconia showed a shallow,regular,crater-like surface. deposition of dense and uniform ha films was measured by sem,and the contact angle test demonstrated improved wettability of the ha-coated surface. confocal laser scanning microscopy indicated that mc3t3-e1 pre-osteoblast attachment did not differ notably between the titanium and zirconia surfaces; however,cells on the ha-coated zirconia exhibited a lower proliferation than those on the uncoated zirconia late in the culture. nevertheless,alp,alizarin red s staining,and bone marker gene expression analysis indicated good osteogenic responses on ha-coated zirconia. our results suggest that ha-coating by aerosol deposition improves the quality of surface modification and is favorable to osteogenesis. © international & american associations for dental research 2015.