A range of novel bioactive glasses containing zinc and magnesium have recently been developed for dental and orthopaedic applications. At present little is known about the structure of these materials and how it impacts the macroscopic properties. This proposal aims to undertake neutron diffraction studies on these glasses as part of a wider series of structural studies. In order to model and predict the behaviour of these materials and optimise dissolution and selective ion release it is important to understand the connections between the glass composition, its atomic structure and relevant macroscopic properties such as glass degradation rate and apatite formation. We therefore propose to undertake a detailed study of these materials using a combination of neutron and X-ray diffraction, solid state NMR, FTIR, Raman and computer modelling.