Bone Formation At A Ceramic Implant Interface

A nonporous ceramic implant in rat femora was evaluated as to its ability to bond to bone. A number of morphologic techniques were utilised to examine the interfacial relationship of the implant to new bone. Transmission electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy after tetracycline labelling were the most successful techniques. An intimate relationship between mineralised bone and the ceramic was demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy. The appearance of tetracycline labelling at the ceramic interface indicates that the implant may have capacity to enhance bone formation.