Xenograft
Pronunciation: ZEE-noh-graft
Bone graft material derived from a non-human species—most commonly bovine—used to augment bone volume at implant sites.
Full Definition
In implantology, xenograft refers to anorganic (deproteinised) bone mineral of animal origin, with bovine-derived materials (e.g., Bio-Oss®) being the most widely studied. The material serves as an osteoconductive scaffold, supporting new bone ingrowth without supplying viable cells or growth factors. Editors should distinguish among the four graft categories: autograft (same patient), allograft (same species, different individual), xenograft (different species), and alloplast (synthetic). Spelling variants ('xenograft' vs. 'xeno-graft') exist; 'xenograft' as one word is the standard in current dental literature.
Usage
Usage note: One word, no hyphen. Editors must confirm the specific graft type stated; the four categories (autograft, allograft, xenograft, alloplast) are not interchangeable.
In Context
- "Xenograft combined with autogenous bone chips was placed in the extraction socket to preserve ridge dimensions." — Socket preservation report
- "The manuscript used 'allograft' and 'xenograft' interchangeably; these are distinct graft categories and must be corrected." — Copy-editing note