A Review on Current Status of Biodegradable Surgical Implant Materials

Abstract

Since many years, inert metals such as stainless steel, cobalt-chromium and titanium alloys have been the primary biomaterials used for load bearing applications. In order to these metallic implants such as pins, screws and plates for repairing the defects have to be removed by secondary surgery once the bone tissue is healed, which will increase the morbidity, pain and cost. Hence conventional metallic biomaterials are biocompatible but not biodegradable. At present, polymeric biomaterials such as poly-lactic acid (PLA) are used in these applications. The main limitations in using polymers in load bearing implants are their low mechanical strength, hardness and wear resistance. Due to this, biodegradable materials are developed for designing temporary implants like fixation devices for fractured bones or stents. The potential for magnesium based alloys, which are biodegradable and bioabsorbable in biomedical applications has been broadly studied as emerging directions. This study gives a review about current status of biodegradable implant materials.