In my daily outpatient and ward consultations, I am often asked by patients what materials are available for hip replacement and how to choose them. With the help of the web platform, I would like to give a brief guide here: In a patient receiving a total hip replacement, the patient’s age, bone condition, weight, and activity level already determine what kind of prosthetic stem and acetabulum are needed, which requires a doctor with a lot of experience in hip replacement surgery to make a plan for the patient. The patient’s choice of artificial joint material, on the other hand, refers mainly to the choice of the friction interface. The main combinations of friction interfaces are: ceramic to ceramic, metal to ultra-high polymer polyethylene, metal to metal, and ceramic to polyethylene. Metal-to-metal is less commonly used due to the potential risk of accumulation of metal ions in the body. Ceramic-to-polyethylene is also not commonly used, and long-term efficacy needs to be evaluated. The two most commonly used friction interfaces in the joint surgery department of Shanghai Long March Hospital are ceramic-to-ceramic and metal-to-UHMWPE. The cost varies from $40,000 to $70,000 for different materials. At the same time, each of these two combinations has its own advantages. The ceramic-to-ceramic friction interface is relatively more expensive. The main advantage of this combination is that it is relatively more wear resistant. In ceramic to ceramic friction, the wear is much smaller compared to the metal interface for the same load, and the tiny particles left in the joint cavity due to wear are extremely small, so basically there is no rejection reaction of the body to the wear particles. However, ceramics are brittle and there is a very small risk of ceramic rupture during strenuous activity or improper posture. A very small number of patients experience the “creaking” sound of ceramic friction during activity. Metal to UHMWPE has a long history of use and is a classic combination. Metal to UHMWPE, in general, does not exhibit abnormal ringing or cracking during activity. But compared with ceramic to ceramic friction interface, it wears relatively a little more under the same load for the same time. In a very small number of sensitive patients, the wear debris will react to the wear debris, causing inflammation around the wear debris, and gradually pain around the prosthesis, loosening of the prosthesis, etc. When choosing a total hip prosthesis, is the more expensive the better? Personally, I don’t think so. Ceramic to ceramic and metal to UHMWPE are very well established and classic friction interface combinations. The primary goal of total hip replacement is to resolve pain and restore function. For the vast majority of patients, the results are very good and will last for a long time after surgery. The specific choice should be based on a comprehensive consideration of the patient’s age, bone condition, weight, activity level, underlying disease, and economic conditions. Only the prosthesis that is suitable for you is the best, in order to make the maximum effect of the prosthesis. Personally, I think that for relatively young patients with high activity, you can give priority to the more wear-resistant ceramic-to-ceramic prosthesis. For older, less active seniors, the more forgiving ultra-high cross-linked polyethylene to metal combination can be preferred. At the Joint Surgery Department of Shanghai Long March Hospital, the time from admission, surgery to discharge is usually only about a week. Patients are able to return to their daily work well after receiving total hip replacement, and the postoperative satisfaction rate of patients is very high. In the principle of prosthesis selection, in general, the best choice for you can only be made according to the individual characteristics of each person.