11. Biocompatibility

One of the first definitions of a biomaterial was that of the Clemson University Advisory Board for Biomaterials [1] which was “a systemically and pharmacologically inert substance designed for implantation within or incorporation with living systems.” Biocompatibility was defined by Williams (2008) as “the ability of a material to perform with an appropriate host response in a specific application” [2]. According to ASTM on the other hand, it is defined as a “comparison of the tissue response produced through the close association of the implanted candidate material to its implant site within the host animal to that tissue response recognized and established as suitable with control materials.” Another definition of biocompatibility provided was “The condition of being compatible with living tissue by virtue of a lack of toxicity or ability to cause immunological rejection” [3].