European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

BIOCOMPATIBILITY TESTS OF DENTAL MATERIALS

Mithra N Hegde, *Raksha Bhat, Preethesh Shetty and Nishita Philip

ABSTRACT

Dental materials may result in damage to various tissues. Therefore, a great variety of different test methods are applied to evaluate the risk of such damage to ensure material compatibility. However, the results of such evaluations are dependent not only on the tested material but also on the test method used. The findings of these studies and the results should be critically challenged by the dentist, so dentists need to be familiar with the principles and, in particular, with the problems of these test methods. Evaluation of the biocompatibility of dental materials is a complex and comprehensive area because unwanted tissue reactions may occur in a great variety of types. Moreover, individual test methods are usually adequate only to describe or document a single aspect of a certain type of unwanted reactions. Scientists have recognized that the most accurate and cost-effective means to assess biocompatibility of a new material is a combination of in vitro, animal, and usage tests. The ways in which these tests are used together, however, are controversial and have evolved over many years as knowledge has increased and new technologies were developed. This review article emphasizes on the biocompatibility tests and its importance in evaluating dental materials.

Keywords: Biocompatibility, cell cultur, diagnostic tests, allergy.