ABSTRACT
When one thinks of ceramic materials that are used in the human body the first that comes to mind are dental applications-false teeth, caps, and crowns. The use of ceramics in the body, however, is becoming much more widespread than dental applications. Some of these now include bone and joint replacements, heart valves, eye lenses, and therapeutic glasses for treatment of tumors. The materials that are most often used include hydroxyapatite,* alumina, zirconia, bioactive phosphate glasses, and rare earth alumino-silicate glasses. Some applications require the bioceramic to react with and bond to the bone or be resorbed and replaced by the bone. Resorbable materials obviate the need for removal. An interesting review of the history, although dated, of bioceramics can be found in the article by Hulbert et al. 1987.
