Bioceramics: Past, present and for the future

There have been a number of major advances made in the field of bioactive ceramics, glasses and glass ceramics during the past 30–40 years. From initial work on the development of materials that are tolerated in the physiological environment, emphasis has now shifted towards the use of ceramic materials that interact with bone tissue by forming a direct bond. It is now possible to choose, by compositional control, whether these materials are biologically stable once incorporated within the skeletal structure or whether they are resorbed over time. This paper reviews the ground-breaking work that was performed during the 1970s and 1980s in the field of bioceramics in the production and characterisation of bioactive and bioresorbable glasses, glass ceramics and calcium phosphates. The review then explores the influence of the original concepts and ideas on the more recent development of ceramic scaffolds, composites and coatings with enhanced bioactivity for bone tissue engineering.