Analysis of reaction products on hydroxyapatite created by tooth etchants with different compositions.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the reaction products formed by application of three tooth etchants to hydroxyapatite. METHODS: Tooth etchants with three different compositions, designed for application to teeth before dental adhesive - " K-etchant GEL" (containing phosphoric acid), "Enamel Conditioner" (containing organic acids), and "Multi Etchant" (containing acidic monomer) - were applied to hydroxyapatite plates. RESULTS: Atomic force microscopy measurements revealed that Multi Etchant formed nano-sized particles on the hydroxyapatite. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer analyses of the powdered hydroxyapatite indicated that Enamel Conditioner produced calcium tartrate whereas K-etchant GEL generated monetite. These results indicated that each etchant reacted with hydroxyapatite in a different way. CONCLUSION: Not only differences among the etching ability of etchants, but also differences in the reaction compounds they produce may influence bonding performance in clinical practice.

Effect of phosphorous ion implantation on the mechanical properties and bioactivity of hydroxyapatite.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) has ability of bone-like apatite formation, which consists with chemical interaction between the surface of HA and ions included in body fluid. Thus, proper surface modification might enhance the function. In the present study, the effect of phosphorous ion implantation on mechanical properties and bioactivity of HA was investigated. In order to clarify the effect of ion implantation dose, ion dose of 1 × 10(12), 1 × 10(13) and 1 × 10(14) ions/cm(2) were selected. Mechanical properties and bioactivity were evaluated in 4-point bending tests and immersion test in simulated body fluid. Bending strength was reduced due to ion implantation. The amount of decreasing strength was similar regardless of ion implantation dose. Bone-like apatite formation was slightly delayed with ion implantation, however, improvement in interfacial strength between bone-like apatite layer and the base HA was indicated. From the results, the possibility of phosphorous ion implantation for enhancement of bioactivity of HA was proved.

Fabrication of high-density collagen fibril matrix gels by renaturation of triple-helix collagen from gelatin.

Collagen-based 3-D hydrogels often lack sufficient mechanical strength for tissue engineering. We developed a method for fabrication of high-density collagen fibril matrix (CFM) gels from concentrated solutions of uncleaved gelatin (UCG). Denatured random-coil UCG exhibited more rapid and efficient renaturation into collagen triple-helix than cleaved gelatin (CG) over a broad range of setting temperatures. The UCG solution formed opaque gels with high-density reconstituted collagen fibrils at 28-32 °C and transparent gels similar to CG at <25 °C. The unique gelation properties of UCG enabled the encapsulation of cultured cells in CFM of high solid volume (>5%) and elasticity (1.28 ± 0.15 kPa at 5% and 4.82 ± 0.38 kPa at 8%) with minimal cell loss. The elastic modulus of these gels was higher than that of conventional CFM containing 0.5% collagen. High-strength CFM may provide more durable hydrogels for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.