NANOCRYSTALLINE APATITE-BASED BIOMATERIALS -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- INTRODUCTION -- EARLY WORKS AND THE WAY BONE MINERAL WAS CONCEIVED -- SYNTHESIS OF NANOCRYSTALLINE APATITES -- 3.A. POORLY CRYSTALLINE APATITE (PCA) SYNTHESIS -- 3.B. POORLY CRYSTALLINE APATITE (PCA) MATURATION -- 3.C. IONIC EXCHANGE (DIRECT AND INVERSE) ON POORLY CRYSTALLINE APATITE (PCA) -- CHARACTERIZATION OF APATITES -- 4.A. CHEMICAL ANALYSIS -- 4.B. DIFFRACTION TECHNIQUES -- 4.C. SPECTROSCOPIC METHODS -- A MODEL FOR NANOCRYSTALLINE APATITES -- PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF NANOCRYSTALLINE APATITES -- 6.A. MATURATION -- 6.B. ION EXCHANGES ON NANOCRYSTALLINE APATITES -- 6.C. PROTEIN ADSORPTION ON NANOCRYSTALLINE APATITES -- PROCESSING OF NANOCRYSTALLINE APATITE-BASED BIOMATERIALS -- 7.A. BIOMIMETIC CEMENTS -- 7.B. LOW-TEMPERATURE SINTERING OF NANOCRYSTALLINE APATITES -- 7.C. APATITE COATINGS -- 7.D. COMPOSITES -- BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF NANOCRYSTALLINE APATITES -- 8.A. BIODEGRADATION -- 8.B. BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY -- 8.C. MATERIALS-TISSUE INTERACTIONS AND BIOINTEGRATION -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- INDEX.