ABSTRACT
Total knee and hip arthroplasty (TKA/THA) to correct deformities and degenerations outpaces every other orthopedic surgery. Bioceramic materials account for the lion’s share of the bone graft substitutes in these surgeries, favored for their osteo-conductivity for bone formation, in-vivo biocompatibility, capability of enduring varying degrees of torques, and superior tribological (or mechanical) behaviors. The current chapter explores three different kinds of bioceramics and their composites for orthopedic applications related to knee and hip joint surgeries: bioinert, bioresorbable, and bioactive materials. Bone formation mechanisms with certain classes of bioceramics have been illustrated. Underlying medical conditions associated with high-risk implant failures have been analyzed, such as osteolysis, aseptic loosening, or fretting. Also, strategies to improve the mechanical properties of bioceramic prostheses have been portrayed. Finally, the importance of biocompatibility has been debated, and the need for cytotoxicity and genotoxicity assays. Most importantly, the chapter demonstrates numerous clinical studies with associated ultrasonic/radiographs to tell medical stories of patients undergoing knee/hip joint surgeries and curate their experiences with bioceramic implants in visual contexts – a form that makes this chapter more intriguing and intelligible.
