hydroxyapatite
Noun
Meaning
hydroxyapatite (countable and uncountable, plural hydroxyapatites)
A basic calcium phosphate mineral that is the principal inorganic constituent of bone and teeth.
Synonyms
Examples
Above 30% of the acellular part of bone consists of the organic components, and 70% of salts.sfn The strands of collagen give bone its tensile strength, and the interspersed crystals of hydroxyapatite give bone its compressional strength.
Bone and teeth enamel The main component of bone is hydroxyapatite as well as amorphous forms of calcium phosphate, possibly including carbonate.
Most hydroxyapatite ceramics are very porous and lack mechanical strength, and are used to coat metal orthopedic devices to aid in forming a bond to bone or as bone fillers.
Work is being done to make strong, fully dense nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite ceramic materials for orthopedic weight bearing devices, replacing foreign metal and plastic orthopedic materials with a synthetic, but naturally occurring, bone mineral.
The rub is that are a number of calcium supplements and all have many advantages, and the only one, it seems, that doesn't have a disadvantage is Microcrystalline Hydroxyapatite Concentrate 25% calcium.