The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of coating implants with hydroxyapatite (HA) by an ion beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) method and to compare them with implants prepared with sand-blasted and machined surfaces. Examination of osteoblast cultures displayed no difference in the secretion of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) between the various surfaces, but the IBAD-HA specimen showed low ALP secretion (P < .05). Removal torque tests showed that implants coated with HA by the IBAD method had values similar to the implants with a sandblasted surface, but values for the machined-surface implants differed. Implants placed in a group of ovariectomized rabbits showed lower mechanical test values than implants placed in sham-operated rabbits (P < .05). Implants coated with HA by the IBAD method demonstrated the highest mean bone-to-metal contact ratio on all threads and on the 3 best consecutive threads, followed by the implants with a sandblasted surface and implants with a machined surface (P < .05). Hydroxyapatite-coated implants showed a slightly higher bone-to-implant contact ratio than sandblasted implants, but no statistically significant difference was seen between the 2 materials. The implants placed in ovariectomized rabbits showed lower amounts of bone-to-metal contact than the implants placed in sham-operated rabbits, but no statistically significant difference was seen between the 2 groups. Evaluation of bone volume on all threads and the 3 best consecutive threads showed no statistically significant difference among the different surface treatment groups, but lower bone volume was seen in the ovariectomized rabbits than in the sham-operated animals (P < .05).