Bioactive glass is one of biocompatible alloplasts and widely applied in the field of orthopedics and dentistry. Clinically, bioactive glass can be single use or in combination with other graft materials as a bone substitute for periodontal defects, bone augmentation, ridge preservation or sinus grafting procedure. This article will introduce the main composition of bioactive glass particles and discuss the bone healing around this alloplast in the bony defect. A comparison of clinical effects of bioactive glass with other osseous graft materials or some regenerative materials in various clinical indications is presented in detail. The recent investigations demonstrate that the clinical effect of bioactive glass is similar to those of the various biomaterials currently available and the application of bioactive glass can result in improved treatment outcomes for the patients with osseous defects.