Effect of temperature and immersion on the setting of some calcium phosphate cements

Calcium phosphate cements based on powders containing \alpha-Ca-3(PO4)(2) and aqueous solutions containing Na2HPO4 as accelerator were used to determine the effects of accelerator concentration, temperature and immersion on the setting time. Increases in accelerator concentration and temperature increased the rate of setting, but immersion had a retarding effect. These results were used to design a method whereby a syringe filled with cement paste can be kept ready for injection of the paste into the implantation site for a long time, whereas setting of the cement paste in the body takes place in a short time. (C) 2000 Kluwer Academic Publishers.