Cellular response to calcium phosphate cements

Abstract

Calcium orthophosphate (COP) ceramics have been investigated as bone repair materials for many decades. The first in vivo application of these materials was accomplished in 1920 to test tricalcium phosphate performance as a bone substitute. Since this first attempt, various COPs were investigated on animals to shed light on their effect on the healing behavior of bones. Calcium phosphate cements are currently receiving a great deal of interest especially for the hard tissue repair, augmentation, and regeneration applications due to their attractive characteristics such as biocompatibility, ease of shaping, osteoconductivity, and biodegradability.