The article by Jérôme Chevalier reviews the future prospects of zirconia as a biomaterial, particularly in orthopedic applications. The introduction highlights the controversy surrounding zirconia due to its potential for failure, which was highlighted by the Prozyr® femoral head failures in 2001-2002. The paper discusses the aging process of zirconia, its impact on long-term implant performance, and the need for advanced assessment techniques to determine aging sensitivity. It emphasizes the variability in zirconia's degradation due to processing differences and the need for ISO standards to be revised to address aging concerns. The aging process of zirconia is explained, including the nucleation and growth of the monoclinic phase, which can lead to roughening and microcracking. Various methods for assessing aging sensitivity, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), are discussed. The paper also reviews retrieval studies that show both positive and negative clinical outcomes with zirconia implants, highlighting the need for more advanced studies to correlate microstructure with long-term performance. The future of zirconia is explored, including the need for advanced specifications in ISO standards to address aging concerns and the development of "ageing-free" zirconia materials. The potential of alumina-zirconia composites is discussed, noting that while they can reduce aging, further research is needed to fully understand their aging behavior. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of combining alumina and zirconia to create advanced composites and the ongoing need for detailed understanding of aging issues in dental and orthopedic applications.The article by Jérôme Chevalier reviews the future prospects of zirconia as a biomaterial, particularly in orthopedic applications. The introduction highlights the controversy surrounding zirconia due to its potential for failure, which was highlighted by the Prozyr® femoral head failures in 2001-2002. The paper discusses the aging process of zirconia, its impact on long-term implant performance, and the need for advanced assessment techniques to determine aging sensitivity. It emphasizes the variability in zirconia's degradation due to processing differences and the need for ISO standards to be revised to address aging concerns. The aging process of zirconia is explained, including the nucleation and growth of the monoclinic phase, which can lead to roughening and microcracking. Various methods for assessing aging sensitivity, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), are discussed. The paper also reviews retrieval studies that show both positive and negative clinical outcomes with zirconia implants, highlighting the need for more advanced studies to correlate microstructure with long-term performance. The future of zirconia is explored, including the need for advanced specifications in ISO standards to address aging concerns and the development of "ageing-free" zirconia materials. The potential of alumina-zirconia composites is discussed, noting that while they can reduce aging, further research is needed to fully understand their aging behavior. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of combining alumina and zirconia to create advanced composites and the ongoing need for detailed understanding of aging issues in dental and orthopedic applications.