Advances in Dental Research, Vol 13, 49-56, Copyright © 1999 by International & American Associations for Dental Research
Role of the osteoclast at the bone-implant interface
C. Minkin and V. C. Marinho
University of Southern California, School of Dentistry, Skeletal Biology Research Laboratory, 925 W. 34th Street, Rm. 4109A, Los Angeles, California 90089-0641, USA.
A thorough understanding of the processes of healing, repair, and
remodeling of bone is critical for the establishment and maintenance of
osseointegration of dental implants. In this regard, much attention has
been paid to the anabolic aspects of bone remodeling, including the cell
biology of the osteoblast and the various cytokines and growth factors
which regulate these processes. In contrast, there is little information on
the bone-resorptive activity that occurs around implants during
osseointegration, and of the role of osteoclasts, macrophages, and stromal
cells in those catabolic processes associated with bone remodeling. This
paper reviews osteoclast cell biology, the interaction of osteoclasts and
biomaterials, and the information available on osteoclasts and dental
implants, and poses some questions for future research.
