Biomaterials definition

At present the situation in the field of inorganic polymeric materials is dominated by polysiloxanes (silicones) [14, 24-27], whose utilization as low temperature elastomers, thermally stable fluids, biomaterials etc., is definitely well established. 

By definition, mucoadhesive hydrogels are a elass of polymeric biomaterials that exhibit the basic characteristic of an hydrogel to swell by absorbing water and interacting by means of adhesion with the mucus that covers epithelia. 

As mentioned in paragraph 11.6.1 bioceramics are used to repair defects in the human body. Thus a material from outside the body is brought into direct contact with body tissue without any intermediate layer like the skin. These materials are called implants or biomaterials and can be defined in several ways. Two of these definitions are ... 

The biomaterial was dispersed in a definite amount of water. Ceric ammonium nitrate and nitric acid are then to be added slowly to the reaction mixture. Then, the monomer acrylic acid should be added drop wise to the reaction mixture. The reaction flask is to be placed in a water bath at 10-85°C for various time periods under stirring by a magnetic stirrer. After a definite time period, the reaction mixture is to be filtered and the homo-polymer should be removed with excess water. The grafted sample is to be dried to a constant weight and used for sorption studies. From the increase in weight of the biomaterial, the percentage of grafting should be calculated as follows ... 

By definition, mucoadhesive hydrogels are a class of polymeric biomaterials that exhibit the basic character- 2. 

A commonly used definition of a biomaterial, endorsed by a consensus of biomaterials experts, is a nonviable material used in a medical device, intended to interact with biological systems. An essential characteristic of biomaterials is biocompatibility, defined as the ability of a material to perform with an appropriate host response in a specific application. The goal of biomaterials science is to create medical implant materials with optimal mechanical performance and stability, as well as optimal biocompatibility. 

Williams, D.F. Definitions in biomaterials. Proceedings of a Consensus Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials, Elsevier New York, 1987. 

The definition of a biomaterial that has been arrived at by consensus is A biomaterial is one which possesses the ability to perform with an appropriate host response in a specific application (Williams, 1999). As subsequently stressed by Hench (2014), this definition emphasises that the term biocompatibility does not just mean absence of cytotoxicity but provides for the requirement that a material performs appropriately. This also means that different applications of a particular material enforces different conditions. As a consequence, a material, be it a metal, a ceramics or a polymer may or may not be biocompatible in different applications. 

Williams, D.F. (ed) (1987) Definitions in Biomaterials, Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 

The term biomaterials encompasses all materials used for medical applications that are interfaced with living systems. Although this definition addresses specifically materials used in contact with living systems (intra-corporeal uses), other systems developed for extracorporeal uses 1-4) are also commonly classified as biomaterials. 

Biocompatibility in materials is not precisely defined, and so all claims of biocompatibility should be read with caution. A useful definition, which is accepted by most experts, is Biocompatibility is the ability of a material to perform with an appropriate host response in a specific application (Williams, D.F., Definitions in Biomaterials. Proceedings of a Consensus Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials, Chester, England, 3-5 March 1986, Vol. 4, Elsevier, New York, 1987). For more information see Biomaterials Science an introduction to materials in medicine. Ratner, B.D., Hoffman, A.S., Schoen, F.J., and Lemons, J.E. (eds.). Academic Press, 1996. 

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