Applications of biodegradable polymers and ceramics for bone regeneration: a mini-review

The current review presents an insight into the recent developments of biodegradable materials used for orthopedic surgery and bone regeneration purposes. Conventional biodegradable devices for osteosynthesis are effective only in low or mild load-bearing applications. To mitigate this limitation, development of biodegradable materials with improved mechanical strength has attracted researcher's attention. These biodegradable materials play a crucial role in severe bone defect repair. When scaffolds are made up of the biodegradable materials then they serve as a crawling bridge for formation of new bone tissues by providing a platform to cells and growth factors. In view of this context, this review focuses on detailed discussion of different polymers and ceramic materials for bone regeneration purposes along with their respective advantages and disadvantages. Results of the review reveals that new bone formation takes place more easily and faster around ceramic materials in comparison to polymeric materials due to their osteoconductive as well as osteoinductive properties. Viewing their biocompatible, osteoconductive, and bioactive properties, the studied biomaterials cover the largest share in orthopedic surgery. Finally, some surface modification procedures for improving functionality of biomaterials are pointed out. It is hoped that this review will guide further research on biomaterials applications and modifications underlying bone renewal by providing reference and some inspiration for the upcoming investigators of this field.