Current Use of Calcium Sulfate Bone Grafts

Bone graft placement is the most widely used therapeutic strategy for the surgical correction of osseous defects. In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the development of synthetic bone grafts. Of those currently available, calcium sulfate materials exhibit several unique properties that warrant discussion. These include their intrinsic osteogenic potential, their stimulatory effect on angiogenesis, the fact that they are fully biodegradable, the lack of proinflammatory responses following their placement in situ, and their lost cost of production. However, despite the attractiveness of these features, the use of calcium phosphate materials for bone grafting continues to be more widespread. This review examines the current use of calcium sulfate bone grafts in regenerative medicine. It also considers their clinical drawbacks before providing insight into the development of new calcium sulfate grafting constructs that might address these concerns.