Background and Aims Bone grafting to replace missing bone with synthetic porous Biomaterial (i.e. bone graft scaffolds) and associated new bone formation and remodelling, have been investigated for over 30 years [Hing K., 2005]. Limited availability of autografts and the risk of disease transfer of allografts, however, has produced an increase in requests for synthetic bone grafts. This study estimate the osteogenic effects of white marble (powder).

Methods A bone defect 2.5 mm in diameter and 2 mm deep was made in the diaphysial part of femoral bone of male Wistar rats. The defects were filled with white marble powder (WM) and autogenous blood clot (control). The animals were euthanized 7, 15, 30, 60 and 90 days after surgery, and specimens were collected for radiographic and microscopic analyses. The bone defects were processed for paraffin embedding and H&E staining.

Results X-ray after the operation did not reveal obvious evidence of angiogenesis in the femoral condyles, where the X-ray density underwent slight changes. The optical density decreased significantly after the implantation, and the quantity of the osteoid, woven and lamellar bone increased in the bone tissue with time. The osteogenesis area with H&E staining showed obvious bone formation, which was significantly different from the control group.

Conclusion Although osteo-conductive activity was not shown, the dolomite favored the repair process, compared to the control group. This study has shown that the white marble powder can be used as a graft to a small cortical bone defect.