Bioactive Glasses: Fundamentals, Technology and Applications

The global ageing society has significantly increased the need for implant materials, which not only replace damaged or lost tissue but are also able to regenerate it. The field of bioactive glasses has been expanding continuously over recent years as they have been shown to bond with hard and soft tissue, release therapeutically active ions, and be capable of enhancing bone formation and regeneration. In addition, they are successfully being used to re-mineralise teeth, thereby making bioactive glasses highly attractive materials in both dentistry and medicine. Understanding the multidisciplinary requirements set by the human body's environment and the special characteristics of the different families of bioactive glasses is a key in developing new compositions to novel clinical applications. Bioactive Glasses aims to bridge the different scientific communities associated with the field of bioactive glasses with focus on the materials science point of view. Emerging applications covered include soft tissue regeneration, wound healing, vascularisation, cancer treatment and drug delivery devices. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the latest applications of bioactive glasses for material scientists.