Development of bioactive bone cement and its clinical applications

This paper is a summary of already published papers on the bioactive bone cement (BA cement) which consists of CaO–SiO2–P2O5–MgO–CaF2 (AW glass–ceramic) powder and bisphenol-a-glycidyl methacrylate (Bis-GMA) resin. Two types of BA cement, dough and injection type, were prepared by changing their chemical compositions slightly. They harden in a few minutes exhibiting much lower curing temperature than PMMA cement. They have significantly higher compressive, bending, and tensile strengths than PMMA cement and have a character of bonding directly with bone in 4–8 weeks in vivo. Intercalary prosthetic replacement of the femur and total prosthetic replacement of the hip were performed in dogs using either PMMA cement or BA cement. Mechanical tests demonstrated that fixation strengths of these prostheses with BA cement increased with time and were significantly greater than those with PMMA cement tested at any time. Results of histological examinations showed direct bonding between BA cement and bone, and that the bone trabeculae around BA cement mantle grew with time, while with PMMA cement an intervening soft tissue layer was always observed at the cement–bone interface. BA cement was used in a few aged patients to instal a hip prosthesis either in cases of revision or femoral neck fracture. The longest follow-up period of the patient is 4 yrs. The patients have been doing well with no adverse effect of the cement to date.