Preparation and in vivo evaluation of a newly developed bioglass ceramic.

This paper presents details of the fabrication of a glass ceramic, and its application as an artificial bone prosthetic material. This new bioglass ceramic, with composition of Na2O 8.4%, CaO 40.6%, P2O5 12% and SiO2 39%, had 160-190 MPa and 800-980 MPa of three-point bending strength and compressive strength respectively. The ceramic has a (Na, Ca) (P, Si) O3 crystalline phase with a uniform crystal size of about 10 microns, which was attributed to the high nucleation frequency. The rabbit condyle test showed that the material formed a tight chemical bond with biological texture and had good biocompatibility.