Bioresorption and particulate migration of hydroxyl carbonateapatite (HCAp) are the common clinical problems in periodontal osseous defects. In this study, an attempt is made to prepare a hybrid bone composite with chitosan-incorporated HCAp to alleviate the above demerits. The prepared composites are analyzed by various physicochemical methods and the HCAp is found to be well intact in the chitosan macromolecules. Chemical analysis clearly indicates the presence of hydroxyl and amide groups in addition to the characteristic bands of HCAp in the composites. The particle size of the HCAp has increased tremendously with increasing the conjugation of chitosan, which is highly beneficial for the immobilization of HCAp particles upon implantation. Physiological stability and solubility of the bone composites are carried out in vitro in Hank's medium of pH 7.4 in a temperature-controlled incubator and found that the dissolution rate of calcium ions is quite higher in the composites than in HCAp. No structural deformations are detected for HCAp due to the presence of chitosan as evidenced by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. These findings suggest that HCAp-chitosan composites can efficiently be used as a bioresorbable bone substitute and the bioresorbability can also be controlled by optimizing the chitosan incorporation. © 2005 Sage Publications.