Analysis of the risk of transmitting bovine spongiform encephalopathy through bone grafts derived from bovine bone

Bone substitutes of bovine origin are widely used for treatment of bone def ects in dental and orthopedic surgery. Due to the occurrence of BSE and the new variant of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease risks of transmitting diseases th rough the use of such materials need to be carefully evaluated. Risk analys is can either be based on theoretical assessments or experimental evidence. Here we present a comparative study on two bovine bone substitutes (Bio-Os s(R) and Osteograf/N) which is based on theoretical values. Furthermore, fo r one of these materials, i.e. Bio-Oss(R), the prion inactivation capacity of one of the production steps was experimentally evaluated. Theoretical an d experimental data indicate that the use of these materials does not carry a risk of transmitting BSE to patients. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.