Studies of Devitalized Bone Implants

Introduction  While it is generally accepted that living autogenous bone is the most effective bone grafting material available,^1-6 the relative value of various substitutes remains controversial. Homogenous and heterogenous bone, ivory,⁷ cow horn,⁷ and inorganic salts such as calcium phosphate^8-10 and sulphate¹¹ have all been studied as well as bone modified in many ways including boiling,^2,12,13,10 freezing,^2,8,14,15 lyophilizing,^15,16 deproteinizing,^{17, 14,5} and decalcifying.^14,17-19 F. J. Marchand as early as the 19th century stated:It is already sufficiently known that either fresh bone taken from living animals or bone killed in various ways can serve as a more or less complete substitute for and cause healing of a bone defect.²⁰ However, it still remains to be determined which of the various types of devitalized bone may serve best in facilitating healing of a skeletal defect. The following study was carried out