Ceramic materials, especially zirconia, are suitable for use in medical device implants due to their outstanding mechanical properties including high resistance to pressure, fatigue, and corrosion, as well as high hardness and strength. This reduces the risks of fractures and stress-induced inflammation. Additionally, ceramics like zirconia have high biocompatibility with biological tissues and less tendency to induce inflammatory responses, enhancing their biological applications. These properties have led to the widespread use of zirconia, particularly in manufacturing single-use implants, dental implants, and medical device parts including prostheses and surgical tools.
The major medical applications of ceramics include their use in hip and knee joint replacements as well as dental restoration. These ceramic implants are among the most successful and widely used in the human body, currently showing the least negative effects. The main advantages of ceramics like high strength and ability to withstand long-term high pressure, along with biocompatibility and suitable performance in the body environment, have led most proposals regarding implant material composition towards this area.
Over 50% of hip joint implants and some ceramic cups are currently made of ceramics. Ceramic materials used in medicine must demonstrate high strength and reliability – in the Straumann company, a 99% proof test is performed on every ceramic implant before leaving the production site. They also cite excellent clinical performance with a 97.5% three-year survival and success rate. Their high biocompatibility with biological tissues and lower tendency for inflammatory response enhances these materials’ biological properties, leading to the prevalent use of zirconia in medical device manufacturing.
In summary, ceramic materials like zirconia are suitable for medical device implants and instruments due to their combined mechanical resilience and biocompatibility. These materials have seen application in areas like hip and knee replacement, dental restoration, and bone/dental tissue replacement.
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