| Silica based bioactive glasses, such as 45S5 type BioglassRTM , have been shown to bond to both hard and soft tissue. The tissue bonding ability of such bioactive glasses is due to the formation of a hydroxycarbonate apatite surface reaction layer, which is formed as a result of ion-exchange at the chemically reactive surface. It is also known that the first matrix to be produced during de novo bone formation is cement line, which is now experimentally feasible in vitro by using rat bone marrow cells in osteogenic conditions without ascorbic acid. This work has shown the interdigitation of cement line with the surface reaction layer in vitro. The relative attachment of collagen fibres in vitro to the surface, with and without cement line was also studied, as models of de novo bone formation and soft tissue bonding, respectively. Incorporation of organic moieties at the surface was also demonstrated by XPS. |
