Interpore-200 is the product of over 11 years of continuous research and development. It has been investigated at over 25 research centers in a wide variety of animal and human implant settings, including alveolar ridge augmentation, periodontics, and orthognathic reconstructions. The biomaterial aspects of Interpore-200 show the following: Interpore-200 has a highly interconnected, three-dimensional porosity that is uniform and consistent. The hydroxyapatite manufactured from marine corals is biocompatible and nontoxic. Interpore-200 is essentially pure hydroxyapatite, with the balance consisting of tricalcium phosphate. Interpore-200 is approximately 55 to 65 per cent porous with nominal pore diameters of 200 micron. Unlike nonporous materials, Interpore-200 is osteoconductive and results, when placed next to a viable bone, in an advancing front of bone into the implant. From 50 to 88 per cent of the porosity within the implant is filled with woven and lamellar bone within 3 months. Moreover, the surfaces of Interpore-200 are intimately bonded with the bone tissue. The biomechanical properties of Interpore-200 blocks are similar to those of a cancellous bone graft. Once ingrown with vascularized bone tissue, the defect site is, in effect, restored. Interpore-200 adequately matches the elastic properties of bone so that stresses necessary to maintain healthy bone are transmitted throughout the regenerated region. Extensive animal and clinical studies have shown that nonporous implants or implants without interconnected porosity can result in aberrant mineralization, stress shielding, low fatigue strength, and bulk displacement. Hydroxyapatite with interconnected porosity like Interpore-200 reacts differently than materials with limited or no porosity. In animals, Interpore-200 exhibits 0 to 5 per cent biodegradation per year. Moreover, this minimal biodegradation is compensated by regeneration of bone. These studies have now been extended for 4 years. Interpore-200 and its ingrown bone are remodeled in response to the same chemical and biomechanical forces that remodel normal bone. Therefore, Interpore-200 responds in accordance to Wolff's law. Having achieved an optimal combination of biomaterial (hydroxyapatite) in an ideal porous structure (replamineform), Interpore-200 fulfills the expectation of early researchers in the basic sciences who demonstrated that an interconnected porous material is better tolerated by the body than the same material in solid form.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)