An Outlook on Magnesium-Based Biodegradable Implants

Copyright: © 2013 Bobby Kannan M. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. In this ageing population, the use of implants for repair of bone fractures is increasing rapidly. Mini-implants such as plates and screws are often used for bone fracture healing. Currently non-degradable implants made of metallic materials such as stainless steel, titanium alloys or chromium-cobalt alloys are commonly used [1]. However, the long-term exposure of these non-degradable implants greatly increases the risk of complications such as foreign body reactions and inflammation due to the release of metal ions or particles as a result of corrosion/wear [2]. This necessitates a secondary surgical process to remove the implant after healing of the tissues. In fact, repeat surgery is a risk and also increases the costs to both the patient and the health care system.