Traditional hip implants might be safer and last longer than some new ones, an FDA-funded study finds.

It’s among the first studies to compare outcomes in people who got different kinds of artificial hip implants with different materials.

When researchers evaluated total hip-replacement data from studies and national registries, they found no advantage for the newer metal-on-metal or ceramic-on-ceramic devices, compared with traditional metal-on-polyethylene or ceramic-on-polyethylene ones.

The available evidence suggests that traditional hip replacement devices work as well as newer, costlier implants and might last longer than at least some newer artificial hips.

The researchers conclude that manufacturers of the newer implants cannot claim that their devices are better than traditional ones.

But others feel that more research is needed to draw any strong conclusions.

via Artificial Hips: Newer Might Not Be Better.