Abstract
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•A simple and cost effective method was used to develop a bone graft (BDHA) from bovine teeth.•BDHA corresponds characteristically to hydroxyapatite.•Dentinal tubules were present with an interconnected porous architecture.•The BDHA was chemically stable and showed excellent mechanical properties.•In-vitro results demonstrated the non-cytotoxic and osteoinductive nature of BDHA.
A bovine dentine derived hydroxyapatite (BDHA) bone graft was developed from waste bovine teeth using a successful defatting and deproteinizing procedure. The resulting BDHA material was characterised using several analytical techniques to investigate its chemical, physical, thermal and structural properties. Fourier-transform-infrared-spectroscopy spectra confirmed the presence of carbonate, hydroxyl and phosphate functional groups which is associated with hydroxyapatite. X-ray diffraction analysis suggested that the processed BDHA corresponds characteristically to hydroxyapatite. Scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of dentinal tubules with an interconnected porous architecture in conjunction with a pore diameter of ∼3-4 μm. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the BDHA was stable up to 1000 °C and lost only 1.5% of its weight. Both Inductively-coupled-plasma-mass spectrometry and Energy-dispersive-X-ray analysis revealed that the inorganic phases of BDHA were mainly composed of calcium and phosphorous with trace amounts of sodium and magnesium. The BDHA was chemically stable and did not degrade significantly after 28 days of incubation in simulated body fluid (SBF). The BDHA material showed excellent mechanical properties in terms of yield strength and young’s modulus. In-vitro studies showed that the BDHA was non-toxic, supported the proliferative growth of Saos-2 cells and expressed the bone marker “osteonectin” after 14 days.