Effect of calcium carbonate on clinical compliance of apatitic calcium phosphate bone cement.

Clinical requirements for calcium phosphate bone cements were formulated in terms of the initial setting time, the final setting time, the cohesion time, and the ultimate compressive strength. Two cement formulations were tested. Biocement F was made of a powder containing alpha-tertiary calcium phosphate, precipitated hydroxyapatite, and monetite. Biocement D powder also contained CaCO3. The liquid/powder (L/P) ratio of the cement paste and the accelerator concentrations (% Na2HPO4) in the cement liquid were varied. For Biocement F there was a small area of combinations of L/P ratio and percent Na2HPO4 for which all clinical requirements were satisfied. This area covered only pastes that could be applied as doughs. However, Biocement D showed a much larger area of full compliance and it covered both doughlike and injectable pastes.