A review on computer modeling of bone piezoelectricity and its application to bone adaptation and regeneration

Bone is a hierarchical, multiphasic and anisotropic structure which in addition possess piezoelectric properties. The generation of piezoelectricity in bone is a complex process which has been shown to play a key role both in bone adaptation and regeneration. In order to understand the complex biological, mechanical and electrical interactions that take place during these processes, several computer models have been developed and used to test hypothesis on potential mechanisms behind experimental observations. This paper aims to review the available literature on computer modeling of bone piezoelectricity and its application to bone adaptation and healing. We first provide a brief overview of the fundamentals of piezoelectricity and bone piezoelectric effects. We then review how these properties have been used in computational models of bone adaptation and electromechanical behaviour of bone. In addition, in the last section, we summarize current limitations and potential directions for future work.