Calcium orthophosphates in medicine: from ceramics to calcium phosphate cements.

Calcium phosphate (CaP) compounds are becoming of increasingly great importance in the field of biomaterials and, in particular, as bone substitutes. Recent discoveries have accelerated this process, but have simultaneously rendered the field more complicated for the everyday user. Subtle differences in composition and structure of CaP compounds may have a profound effect on their in vivo behaviour. Therefore, the main goal of this article is to provide a simple, but comprehensive presentation of CaP compounds. Reference is made to the most important commercial products.