Bone remodeling around implanted ceramics.

Bone formation and remodeling around implanted materials is influenced by the kind of material, its surface properties, and the anatomical site of implantation. In this study, differences in bone formation around three kinds of ceramics and the importance of the implant location in the tibia were investigated. In the first experiment, we placed three kinds of ceramics--alumina, zirconia and hydroxyapatite (HA)--into the medullary cavity of rabbit tibiae and examined histologically the time-dependent formation of bone around the materials for up to 24 weeks postoperatively. We found that bone formation depends on whether or not the materials are in direct contact with the endosteum. In the second experiment, the same three ceramic materials were implanted transcortically into rabbit tibiae. The bone formed around the implants was most abundant in regions adjacent to the periosteum, followed by the endosteum and the marrow cavity in the approximate ratios of 70%, 40%, and 10%, respectively. In these two experiments, the difference between bioactive and bioinert ceramics could be seen in the interface between the implanted material and the bone. It can be concluded that bone formation around these materials is related to the osteoconductivity of the materials and to the osteogenic capacity of the tissues.