Biphasic calcium phosphate/hydrosoluble polymer composites: a new concept for bone and dental substitution biomaterials.

Calcium phosphate materials have been increasingly employed in orthopedic and dental applications in recent years and are now being developed for use in noninvasive surgery or as carriers for drug delivery systems. We developed an injectable bone substitute (IBS) constituted of biphasic calcium phosphate and a hydrosoluble polymer as a carrier. In vivo biocompatibility and biofunctionality of IBS were tested in rabbits using implants in osseous and nonosseous areas. The results obtained demonstrated that the concept of IBS, a filler without initial mechanical properties but able to be rapidly resorbed and replaced by newly formed bone, can be applied to new surgical applications in orthopedic surgery, maxillofacial surgery, and dentistry for pulp capping and root filling.