Biodegradation of calcium phosphate cement composites

Abstract

Calcium phosphate cements represent a good candidate material to use as bone graft to fill up bone defects, in the field of dental, orthopedic, or reconstructive surgery, because of their biocompatible and osteoconductive properties. A disadvantage of such cements, however, is the poor biodegradation that is required for the replacement by bone tissue. The biodegradation of the cement depends on different factors, including cement properties (e.g., chemical composition, setting reaction, porosity, crystallinity, and particle size of the calcium phosphate compounds) and the patient (e.g., medical condition and implantation site). Small alterations to these factors substantially affect the degradation rate of the cement and thus the formation of new bone. In this chapter, different factors that influence the biodegradation of calcium phosphate cements are discussed.