Research progress regarding nanohydroxyapatite and its composite biomaterials in bone defect repair

Bone defects are very common, and there has been a great deal of research in the field of orthopedics to find ideal materials to repair such defects. Nanohydroxyapatite is a good bone substitute material; it has a number of structural similarities to natural bone, can promote new bone formation, is noncytotoxic, and has good biodegradability and biocompatibility. The use of composite and polymeric biomaterials can overcome the problems associated with the brittleness and weak mechanical properties of nanohydroxyapatite. Nanohydroxyapatite and its composite biomaterials were confirmed to play important roles in bone defect repair. This review presents a comparison of research regarding use of nanohydroxyapatite and its composite biomaterials in repairing bone defects. The goal is to identify the artificial bone substitute materials with the best biocompatibility and clinical repairing effects for various individuals and clinical situations.