ABSTRACT
Bioactive glasses are feasible implant materials since they not only adhere to tissue but also have the ability to form firm chemical bonds with biological apatite crystals in both bone tissue and teeth. In the human body environment, dissolution and precipitation reactions of the glass lead to the forming of apatite crystals on the glass surface. The crystals on the glass are capable to bond with biological apatite crystals in the living tissue. However, the brittle nature of glasses restricts their use as implant materials in load-bearing applications, such as molar teeth with strong bite forces. The ions dissolved from the glass have been found to trigger and support the body’s own capability to actually heal and regenerate human tissue. The most recent research within the field of bioactive glasses has been on tissue engineering devices based on the aforementioned bioactive features.
