ABSTRACT
A restitutio ad integrum of bone functionality after a trauma or pathological injury still represents a major target in the development of bone biomaterials, even if a wide range of materials are already on the market. An important category of materials designed to repair damaged bone are composites based on biopolymers and synthetic apatites. Proteins or polysaccharides imitate the structure of the organic part of the bones, while the substituted calcium phosphates or synthetic apatites mimic the structure of the inorganic part. This chapter is an overview of some composites that are in the prospect of being used in the orthopedic or dental field. Materials shaped in various forms, such as membranes, films, multilayer sheets, fibers, sponges, gels, pastes, microspheres, irregular particles, disks, and cylinders, should be well integrated at the bone fracture site and must possess specific properties. The composites can be made not only by properly selecting the components but also by choosing the synthesis parameters so that the morphology, the size, and the physicochemical properties will allow the incorporation of specific elements such as bioactive principles, bone cells, or growth factors to guide bone repair.
