ABSTRACT
Bioceramics are a category of materials that are used to repair and reconstruct the musculo-skeletal system. Osteoconductive and osteoproductive properties were developed from initial bioinert materials that positively trigger the regenerative application. Bioceramics are recognized materials for bone tissue regeneration applications such as hip, knee, tendons, ligaments, alveolar bone, bone fillers, and prosthetic heart valve reconstruction. Currently, owing to the bio-physico-chemical properties of bioceramics, they are being investigated for various other applications such as haemostat, drug delivery, restorative materials, and remineralizing materials. By incorporating different metal oxides (Cu, Zn, Al, Zr, Sr, Ti, F, and B) in the bioceramics structure, the properties have been tuned towards antimicrobial, angiogenic, regenerative, and haemostatic behaviour. On the other hand, the design of materials and tuning the characteristic features of bioceramics using wet chemistry may provide another dimension of materials with all the relevant properties. In this direction, hydroxyapatite, calcium phosphates, tricalcium phosphate, and bioactive glasses have been fine-tuned for more specific application. Based on the demand, material crystal structure and morphology were developed using modern wet chemical methods with the relevant forms such as fibres, powders, thin films, scaffolds, and soft membranes for the respective biomedical applications. Hence, this chapter elaborates current status of bioceramics stepping towards clinical applications.
