Silicon oxide based materials for controlled release in orthopedic procedures.

By virtue of excellent tissue responses in bone tissue, silicon oxide (silica) based materials have been used for bone tissue engineering. Creating nanoscale porosity within silica based materials expands their applications into the realm of controlled release area. This additional benefit of silica based materials widens their application in the orthopedic fields in a major way. This review discusses the various chemical and physical forms of silica based controlled release materials, the release mechanisms, the applications in orthopedic procedures and their overall biocompatibility.