Biology of bone transplantation

A problem with bone grafting is the availability of the appropriate material and its acquisition. Thus, autogenous materials are obtained with certain costs to the patient. The alternative, allografting, has achieved moderate success, while synthetic implants as another alternative can be easily manufactured, but these materials are susceptible to wear, tear, and fixation. The intent of this article is to describe the biology of autogenous bone graft repair and its correlative biomechanics; to describe the biologic aspects of allograft repair; and to describe the alternatives when autogenous bone proves insufficient.