The interaction between implant materials and the surrounding biological environment continues to be an area of intense research and clinical interest. This article presents the information presented in a symposium, held during the 36th Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, in which several important issues concerning the biologic effects of implant materials were discussed. These issues included the mechanisms by which implant materials are released to the surrounding tissues and the ways in which these tissues respond to implant materials. The problem of bone loss around cementless implants was discussed as a specific example of a biologic effect resulting in both bone remodelling and endosteal erosion.