Synthetic porous calcium hydroxyapatite (noted p-HAp) treated with different fluoride concentrations at room temperature in the presence of carbonate, sodium chloride and phosphate-rich media was investigated. The fluoridation rate of the porous calcium hydroxyapatite was 89% using I mol/L [F-] solution compared with 30% for crystalline hydroxyapatite (c-HAp). The high specific surface area of p-HAp (235 m(2) g(-1)) compared with c-HAp sample (47 m(2) g(-1)) has an important effect on the removal of fluoride ions from aqueous solution, when p-HAp was treated with high fluoride concentration to produce calcium fluorohydroxyapatite materials. Fluoride adsorption on porous hydroxyapatites (p-HAp) modified their structural and conduction properties. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.