The use of bone grafts and substitutes has grown rapidly in Latin American countries in recent years due to an aging population as well as an increase in accidents and injuries.
Bone Grafting Procedures on the Rise
Bone grafting procedures are commonly performed for a variety of reasons such as spinal fusion surgeries, reconstructive surgeries post-trauma, joint revision surgeries, and to repair non-union fractures. The number of such procedures requiring bone grafts has steadily increased across Latin America over the past decade.
According to a report by Transparency Market Research, over 300,000 bone grafting procedures were performed in Latin America in 2018. The report predicts this number will grow at a rate of over 5% annually through 2026. An aging population and greater life expectancies mean more individuals developing degenerative bone conditions requiring treatment. Improved access to healthcare has also contributed to the rise in surgeries using bone grafts or substitutes.
Types of Grafts and Substitutes Used
There are several types of Bone Graft and Substitutes and bone void fillers that are commonly used in Latin American countries:
- Autografts: These involve using bone graft material from the patient's own body, often taken from the pelvis. While considered the gold standard due to osteoconductive properties, autografts require an additional surgery and have limited supply.
- Allografts: These involve using bone graft material from human cadaver bone sources. While not requiring additional surgery, allografts carry disease transmission risks and limited osteoinductive capabilities.
- Demineralized bone matrix: Extracted from allogeneic or xenogeneic sources, it promotes bone formation but requires resorption before remodeling.
- Synthetic bone grafts: These fully synthetic alternatives include calcium sulfate, hydroxyapatite, bioactive glass and polymethylmethacrylate beads. They are easily handled and avoid risk of disease but lack osteoinductive properties.
Demand for Synthetic Options Growing
While autografts maintain the highest clinical success rates, constraints in supply and additional surgery have driven significant demand for alternative synthetic bone graft options across Latin America. The availability of cost-effective synthetic grafts from global medtech giants as well as regional players has supported this shift.
Calcium phosphate cements, bioactive glasses and ceramics currently represent over 50% of the Latin American bone graft market. Their handling advantages and comparable clinical outcomes to allografts are fueling increased adoption. Novel technologies incorporating growth factors, stem cells and 3D printing also show promise to further augmented the synthetic graft segment.
Get More Insights on Bone Graft and Substitutes
Persons having sufficient bone in the place of his/her missing tooth are eligible to go for dental implants.
Although your jaw does not have enough bone support, you can get such cosmetic dentistry treatments with the help of bone grafting surgery.
Generally, the growth of bones in our jaws are stimulated by the force produced while chewing our teeth.
In earlier days, doctors use a small portion of our bones taken anywhere from our body as grafts to stimulate the bone growth.
Nowadays, the grafts are taken from different sources like using synthetic materials, animal bones, bones taken from another person.
The grafts are used for surgery after sterilizing and removing all organic components to make mineral components only present in the grafts.
