3 - Maxillofacial bioceramics in tissue engineering: Production techniques, properties, and applications

Abstract

Bioceramics prior to the 1970s were employed as implants to perform singular and biologically inert roles. The limitations with these synthetic materials as tissue substitutes were emphasized with the growing realization that the cells and tissues of the body perform many other vital regulatory and metabolic roles. Since then, the demands of bioceramics have changed, from maintaining an essentially physical function without eliciting a host response to providing a more positive interaction with the host. This has been accompanied by increasing demands on medical devices that they not only improve the quality of life but also extend its duration. More importantly, the exciting and potential opportunities associated with the use of nanobioceramics as body interactive materials, helping the body to heal, or promoting the regeneration of tissues, thus restoring physiological functions. This review covers the type of bioceramics currently used in maxillofacial surgery as well as their production methods and properties. The bioceramics covered include glass ceramics, bioglass, alumina, PSZ and zirconia, and calcium phosphate materials.