[Studies on soft tissue reactions to implantation of glass ceramics (author's transl)]

This report describes the implantation of glass and glass-ceramics into soft tissues. These experiments revealed that our new glass and glass-ceramic materials are well compatible with soft tissues. The fibrous membrane surrounding such an implantat consists of normal dense collageneous connective tissue. The cells are fibroblasts and fibrocyt-like cells without any abnormal morphology. Macrophages could not be detected. However, the degree of implants solubility must be chosen with care, because high solubility of the implant increases the reaction of the surrounding soft tissues. The described materials are also compatible with osseous tissues. In our previous experiments we have already pointed out, that bonding developed between glass material and bone. Few weeks after implatation we have seen mature lamellar homegeneously mineralized bone opposed to the implant. There was no fibrous membrane between implant and bone. Longtime studies show that hitherto the described bonding exists about 2 years.