Effects of sintered apatite on bone regeneration in rabbits

Apatite is considered to be effective for bone regeneration when it contains calcium carbonate and β-TCP. In the present study, we made 3 different apatite preparations, hydroxyapatite, hydroxyapatite containing calcium carbonate, and hydroxyapatite containing β-TCP, using spark plasma sintering and compared their abilities for osteoinduction. For elucidation of bone regeneration, evaluations are generally made after euthanasia of experimental animals. However, the present R_mCT® procedure allowed such evaluations while the animals were alive. Our results showed that sintered HAP containing β-TCP was more effective for guided bone regeneration than the other test materials.