Biodegradable bone cements.

Bone cements are used to treat compression fractures, fill bone defects and improve implant fixation in osteoporotic patients through reinforcement of weak bone. When the fracture repair is complete the bone cement ideally should degrade. In general, calcium-phosphate bone cements are biodegradable and can fulfill this temporary function. Several research groups have developed calcium-phosphate bone cements in the last years which have a chemical structure similar to that of the apatite of bone. However the conditions for processing the cement intraoperatively, as well as the mechanical properties and degradation characteristic of the various products show great variations. Clinical long-term studies have not yet been reported so far. Whether these new types of bone cements fulfill all the requirements for clinical application is still not certain and remains to be determined in future studies.