Calcium Phosphate Ceramics and Synergistic Bioactive Agents for Osteogenesis in Implant Dentistry

Implant-supported dental prosthetics are widely used in dental practice. Sufficient peri-implant bone tissue is a crucial prerequisite for the long-term success of this treatment, as insufficient peri-implant bone volume hampers dental implant installation and negatively influences dental implant stability. However, due to tooth extraction, bone metabolism diseases, and trauma, bone defects in the jaw are common in patients, particularly in the elderly and those suffering from underlying conditions. If this is the case, the alveolar ridge has to be augmented for reliable implant placement. Various biomaterials, growth factors (GFs) or GF-based products, and trace elements have been tested and used for alveolar ridge augmentation. Among those biomaterials, calcium phosphates (CaPs) are the most popular due to their promising biocompatibility, great osteoconductivity, and distinguishing osteogenesis. Combining CaPs with GFs or trace elements can further favor bone defect repair. This review mainly focuses on applying artificial CaP biomaterials and their combination with bioactive agents to repair bone defects in implant dentistry. Insufficient bone volume is still a challenge in implant dentistry, and various bone substitutes have been reported to be used for bone augmentation. In implant dentistry, calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics are the most well-used. Meanwhile, the advantages and disadvantages of these ceramics have also been reported. On the contrary, to improve their performance in dental clinical practice, growth factors (GFs) are engaged and combined with CaP bone substitutes for bone regeneration. This review recapitulates these CaP biomaterials and GFs, which may guide their clinical application in implant dentistry.