Medical Application of Calcium Orthophosphate Bioceramics

In the late 1960’s, a strong interest was raised in biomedical applications of ceramic materials (named bioceramics a little bit later). Bioceramics was initially used as reasonable alternatives to metals in order to increase their biocompatibility. However, within a short period, it has grown into a diverse class of biomaterials, presently including three essential types: relatively bioinert, bioactive (or surface reactive) and bioresorbable bioceramics. This review is limited to bioceramics prepared from calcium orthophosphates only, which belong to the categories of bioactive and bioresorbable compounds. There have been a number of important advances in this field during the past 30 – 40 years. The research was shifted from an initial study on the develop-ment of bioinert bioceramics towards bioactive and bioresorbable bioceramics, and these different types of calcium orthophosphate bioceramics can be tuned through the structural and compositional control. At the turn of the millennium, a new concept of calcium orthophosphate bioceramics has been developed to promote a regeneration of bones. Current biomedical applications of calcium orthophosphate bioceramics include artificial replacements for hips, knees, teeth, tendons and ligaments, as well as repair for periodontal disease, maxillofacial reconstruction, augmenttation and stabilization of the jawbone, spinal fusion and bone fillers after tumor surgery. Potential future applications of calcium orthophosphate bioceramics are demonstrated in drug delivery systems, effective carriers of growth factors, bioactive peptides and/or various types of cells for tissue engineering purposes.