Coral, a new biomedical material. Experimental and first clinical investigations on Madreporaria.

The coral or Madreporaria skeleton is morphologically and chemically very close to mineral bone. In 1979 we began to experiment with the implantation of selected pieces of coral in the cranial or facial bones of dogs, pigs and monkeys. With the wide porous varieties we obtained a true reossification. With the other varieties we had a very stable implant and very good tolerance. For the past three years we have used Madreporaria in human surgery. The cases included the stabilization of facial osteotomies, bone apposition near the pyriform aperture, and the treatment of periodontal lesions.