Hydroxyapatite coating on damaged tooth surfaces by immersion

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) was coated on scratched areas of a human tooth and HAp disks by the immersion method in a HAp colloidal solution (⩽20 µm of average diameter dispersed in DI water). The surface morphologies of the scratched area after immersion for 1–3 months were investigated showing that the damaged surfaces were remarkably recovered. Then, the mechanical property and chemical stability of the HAp coating layers on both specimens were determined via the Vickers hardness test and concentration measurement of extracted Ca2+ ions, respectively, after strong acidic treatment. The cellular behavior of mouse calvaria-derived pre-osteoblastic cells (MC3T3-E1) was also examined on the HAp layers regenerated on micro-scratched HAp disks for the purpose of their potential applications on maxillofacial bone conservation and reconstruction for prosthetic dentistry, and artificial disk preparation of a vertebral column. The notable loss of Ca2+ ions under a highly acidic condition was not observed in the layers coated by HAp adsorption, indicating that the coating surface was well adhered with the original surfaces of the respective specimen. Moreover, the HAp adsorption did not adversely affect the adhesion, growth and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells on the coated HAp layers for up to 21 days. These results suggest that the HAp coating on the scratched areas of the tooth would be effectively applicable for the development of long-term prevention of micro-cleavage and tooth health supporters to reduce discoloration and further maxillofacial and orthopedic applications.