Nano-Mechanical Properties of Bioceramic Bone Scaffolds Fabricated at Three Sintering Temperatures

Bone grafting is an exceptionally common procedure used to repair bone defects within orthopaedics, craniofacial surgery and dentistry. It is estimated that 2.2 million grafting procedures are performed annually worldwide [1] and maintain a market share of $7 billion in the United States alone [2]. There has been a considerable rise in the interest of using bioactive ceramic materials, such as hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate (TCP), to serve as synthetic replacements for autogenous bone grafts, which suffer from donor site morbidity and limited supply [3]. These ceramic materials (which can be formed into three-dimensional scaffolds) are advantageous due to their inherent biocompatibility, osteoconductivy, osteogenecity and osteointegrity [2].