A review on the dissolution models of calcium apatites

Eight dissolution models of calcium apatites (both fluorapatite and hydroxyapatite) were drawn from the previously published material and analysed. Limitations and drawbacks each of the model were discussed in details. The models were shown to deal with different aspects of apatite dissolution and none of them was able to describe the dissolution process in general. However, an attempt to combine the data obtained by different researchers made in this paper has resulted in creation of the general mechanism of apatite dissolution. For this purpose, eight models were assumed to complement each other and provide the correct description of the specific aspects of apatite dissolution. The general mechanism for the first time considered all the dissolution stages involved and pointed out to some missing and unclear phenomena to be experimentally studied and verified in future.