The formation of bone or a bony substance.
The conversion of fibrous tissue or of cartilage into bone or a bony substance.
The process by which bone grows in the body.
The presence of bone formation.
A process occurring during childhood until cartilaginous tissue is gradually replaced by bony tissue.
The process by which bone is formed from cartilage or fibrous tissue. The human skeleton is gradually transformed from cartilage to hard bone during infancy and childhood by ossification. As cartilage becomes bone, it is said to ossify.
The formation of bone, which takes place in three stages by the action of special cells (osteoblasts). A meshwork of collagen fibers is deposited in connective tissue, followed by the production of a cementing polysaccharide. Finally the cement is impregnated with minute crystals of calcium salts. The osteoblasts become enclosed within the matrix as osteocytes (bone cells). In intracartilaginous (or endochondral) ossification the bone replaces cartilage. This process starts to occur soon after the second month of embryonic life. Intramembranous ossification is the formation of a membrane bone (e.g. a bone of the skull). This starts in the early embryo and is not complete at birth.
The formation of bone. In early life, centres appear in the bones previously represented by cartilage or fibrous tissue; and these cells, called osteoblasts, initiate the formation of true bone, which includes the deposition of calcium salts. When a fracture occurs, the bone mends by ossification of the clot which forms between the fragments. In old age, an unnatural process of ossification often takes place in parts which normally remain cartilaginous for example, in the cartilages of the larynx and of the ribs, making these parts unusually brittle.
Ossification is the biological process responsible for bone formation, renewal, and restoration. This process commences in the embryo and persists throughout an individual’s lifespan. Ossification transpires in three primary scenarios: bone growth, where new bone emerges at the ends (epiphyses) of bones; bone renewal, which contributes to regular regeneration; and bone repair, which takes place subsequent to a fracture.
In infants, the bone shaft, or diaphysis, starts to undergo ossification and primarily consists of bone tissue, while the epiphyses are primarily composed of cartilage that gradually solidifies. During childhood, growth plates generate fresh cartilage to extend the bones, and additional bone forms within secondary ossification centers in the epiphyses. By the age of 18, the bone shafts, growth plates, and epiphyses have all undergone ossification and merged into a continuous bone structure, prohibiting further growth.