Mechanism of adhesion of polyelectrolyte cements to hydroxyapatite.

The interaction between polyacrylate ions and hydroxyapatite was examined using extraction techniques and infra-red spectroscopy. These studies have shown that polyacrylate ions become irreversibly attached to the surface of hydroxyapatite by displacing existing phosphate ions. The mechanism is not one of simple ion exchange, since calcium ions are displaced by the phosphate ions.