Figure 1. Theoretical Diagram of the Marrow Space Adjacent to an Implant.
The surface of an implant is surrounded by a complex bone marrow microenvironment. Over thirty unique cell types exist in a complex matrix that can regulate bone formation. A subset of these cells are depicted here with emphasis on the two primary nodes of control, the osteoblast and osteoclast, and the four secondary nodes of control, the vascular, hematopoietic, mesenchymal, and neural.