The polymerization reaction of a bone cement (standard Surgical Simplex-P Radiopaque) upon heating has been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The effects of the addition of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) on the rate and the heat of polymerization during DSC heating were evaluated. The rate and polymerization heat (Delta H) were characterized by the initial curing temperature (T-i), peak temperature (T-p), completing curing temperature (T-f), the curing range (Delta T = T-f - T-i), and the area of the DSC exotherm. It was found that T-i, T-p, T-f, Delta T, and Delta H all increase with increasing heating rate. Increasing TCP content also induced increases in T-i, T-p, T-f, Delta T, and Delta H. From the kinetic analysis, the polymerization of acrylic bone cement was found to be a first order reaction. The effects of heating rate and TCP contents on the rate and the heat of polymerization could be explained based on the frequency factor and the activation energy extracted from the kinetic analysis. Increases in both heating rate and TCP content depressed the frequency factor and the activation energy.