Spotlight on naturally absorbable osteofixation devices

The practice of using implants is growing day by day, and more foreign materials are being inserted for various indications. The field of implantology thus deserves intensive research and careful evaluation of results. Solutions to overcome current problems and risks are necessary. It has taken a long time to arrive at where we are now. Bioabsorbable devices were explored in the 1960s for surgical bone fixation. Failures were followed by changes in ways of thinking and innovations. Improvements in the strength properties and biocompatibility were achieved. Bioabsorbable polymeric materials such as high-molecular-weight polymers were used and also reinforced with other material or, more recently, by self-reinforcement to produce small yet strong devices. New generations of implants include those that contain bioactive substances such as antibiotics and growth factors. Developments in bioabsorbable materials continue to accommodate the new way of thinking brought about by the emergence of the field of tissue engineering. Surgeons, conversely, are also inventing new surgical techniques and methods to exploit the plastic and bioabsorbability properties of these materials for the better future of our patients. Such a multidisciplinary approach that involves surgeons and materials scientists should help to find solutions to the current limitations of these devices.