Eye for eye, tooth for tooth; a materialistic overview of contemporary prostheses

Abstract

Although there have been some tremendous developments in the application of implantable prostheses in recent years, this has not necessarily been based on an increased understanding of the fundamental aspects of biomaterials. In this review some examples of the current problems facing the use of biomaterials are discussed, especially in the context of subtle biomaterial tissue interactions. It is concluded that it is only through a detailed understanding of such subtleties that an improved reliability of prostheses can be obtained.