When placing endosseous implants, there are cases of the height and/or the width of available bone being insufficient. In these situations augmentation is performed using bone grafting materials such as autogenous bone, allografts, and alloplasts. Bone grafting materials can act through one or a combination of three mechanisms: osteogenesis, osteoinduction and osteoconduction. Autogenous bone is the only osteogenic material available and is the most predictable grafting material. However, when autogenous bone must be harvested from intra-or extra oral sites, it puts the patient through the stress of additional surgery and does not permit use in large quantities. On the other hand, allografts and alloplastic bone grafting materials are readily available and recent advances in biomaterial technology and treatment methods have increased their predictability.
In this study, properties and performance of a resorbable bioactive glass (BioGran) were investigated with regard to bioactivity and bone-forming ability. The bioactive glass was grafted to the bony defects and biopsies were taken when endosseous implants were placed. The samples were examined by conventional histlogic techniques, elemental composition and distribution assayed by an electron probe microanalyzer. The results suggested that BioGran exhibits osteoconductive properties and efficacy as an alloplastic bone grafting material.