Medical professionals have been using bone grafting methods for more than a century. The nature of the graft, ability to induce bone formation, mechanical strength, and pore size are just a few of the variables that affect how well a grafted material is incorporated. The bone transplant material should have the following four characteristics: osteogenesis, osteoinduction, osteoconduction, and osteointegration. Although autologous bone is the only material to possess all the four characteristics, due to donor site morbidities it has limitations in its use. An alternative to autogenous bone is allogeneic bone, which is obtained from another individual and is frequently processed by tissue banks. It has risk of antigenicity and disease transmission. The advent of synthetic bone substitutes over the past few decades has brought enormous alternatives and possibilities to address these constraints. Biological components and synthetic bone substitutes are rapidly replacing natural grafts in bone grafting techniques. The site, size of the defect, patient factors and availability and cost of the graft materials are all elements that must be considered. In this review various allogenic and alloplastic materials available in use their action advantages and disadvantages have been discussed.