title: Quality of bone healing: perspectives and assessment techniques.
abstract: Bone regeneration and healing is an area of extensive research providing an ever-expanding set of not only therapeutic solutions for surgeons but also diagnostic tools. Multiple factors such as an ideal graft, the appropriate biochemical and mechanical wound environment, and viable cell populations are essential components in promoting healing. While bony tissue performs many functions, critical is mechanical strength, followed closely by structure. Many tools are available to evaluate bone quality in terms of quantity, structure, and strength; the purpose of this article is to identify the factors that can be evaluated and the advantages and disadvantages of each in assessing the quality of bone healing in both preclinical research and clinical settings.
authors.affiliation: Dental Trauma Research Detachment, US Army Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston; Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas; Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Teja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Guda
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Labella
authors.forename: Rodney
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hale
mesh_terms: D015519:Bone Density; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001861:Bone Regeneration; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D006801:Humans; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000473:pathology*; D010012:Osteogenesis; D013718:Tensile Strength; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins