[The relevance of histological results for the evaluation of materials for bone replacement (author's transl)].

Different groups have observed and reported deviating tissue reactions for the same material for bone replacement: for the "bioinert" Al2O3-ceramic close bone contact is mentioned, others report about a soft tissue layer adjacent to the implant; for the "bioactive" glass ceramic interfaces capable to transmit considerable shear forces are described, others found no interface bonding.--The analysis of the results of animal experiments and the evaluation of clinical follow-up studies show that these discrepancies had been caused by the differences of the biomechanical situations in the examined interfaces. It is pointed out that the negligence or not mentioning of the load pattern at the site of examination can lead to misinterpretations about the possibilities and limits of applicability of biomaterials.