Biocompatibility Tests

By
Sahana.R
PG-1Yr
CONTENTS
 INTRODUCTION
• Biocompatibility is defined as the ability of a material to elicit
an appropriate biological response in a given application in
the body.

• Biocompatible - Capable of existing in harmony with the

surrounding biologic environment (GPT – 9).

• Biomaterial - any substance other than a drug that can be

used for any period of time as part of a system that treats,
augments, or replaces any tissue, organ, or function of the
body (GPT – 9).

Anusavice, K. and Phillips, R. Phillips' Science of Dental Materials. 11th ed. St.
Louis, Missouri: Saunders Elsevier,2003.
 Biocompatibility depends

Condition of Host

Properties of the material

Context in which material is

used

Anusavice, K. and Phillips, R. Phillips' Science of Dental Materials. 11th ed. St.
Louis, Missouri: Saunders Elsevier,2003.
 ADVERSE EFFECTS FROM DENTAL
MATERIALS

• There are a number of possible biological reactions to

materials, although not all of them have been documented
for dental materials.
• These reactions have been separated

Toxic Inflammatory Allergic Mutagenic

Schmalz G, Arentholt-Bindslev D. Biocompatibility of dental materials. Berlin,

Heidelberg: Springer; 2008.
 TOXICITY
• The first screening test used for almost all materials is a toxicity
test.

• Materials may be capable of releasing substances into a patient's

body, and the release of certain substances in adequate amounts
can cause overt toxicity.

• Systemic toxicity is that dental materials release substances into the

oral cavity, from where they may enter the human body through
different routes and via blood circulation enter different organs.

• The application site may thus be in a different location from the

effect.

Anusavice, K. and Phillips, R. Phillips' Science of Dental Materials. 11th ed. St.
Louis, Missouri: Saunders Elsevier,2003:174-175
 • According to the time frame,

1) Acute (up to an exposure period of 24 h)

2) Subacute (up to 3 months)
3) Chronic toxicity

Schmalz G, Arentholt-Bindslev D. Biocompatibility of dental materials. Berlin, Heidelberg:

Springer; 2008:5-6
 INFLAMMATION
• Inflammation is second fundamental type of biologic response
to a material.
• The inflammatory response involves the activation of the
host's immune system.
• Inflammation also results from toxicity,or from allergy and
often the response preceedes toxicity.

Inflammation of the gingiva in contact with a porcelain-

fused-to-metal crown

Schmalz G, Arentholt-Bindslev D. Biocompatibility of dental materials. Berlin,

Heidelberg: Springer; 2008:2-3
 ALLERGIC REACTION
• An allergic reaction occurs when the body specifically
recognizes a material as foreign and reacts disproportionately
to the amount of the material present.

• Types of allergic reactions

Immediate reaction,
Cytotoxic reaction (Type II)
anaphylactic (Type I)

Formation of immune
Delayed reaction (Type IV)
complexes (Type III)

Meena Syed et al, Allergic Reactions to Dental Materials-A Systematic Review. J Clin Diagn
Res. 2015 ;9(10): 4–9.
Allergic contact dermatitis on the fingertip of Contact allergy after patient contact with the
a dentist after contact with resin-based dentist’s latex gloves
composite

Beltrani, V. S., Bernstein, I. L., Cohen, D. E., Fonacier, L. Contact dermatitis: a practice parameter.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract,2006; 97 (3): 1–38.
 MUTAGENIC REACTIONS

• Mutagenic reactions result when the components of a

material alter the base-pair sequences of the DNA in cells.
These alterations are termed mutation.

• Mutations may he caused by direct interactions between a

substance and DNA or indirectly by alterations in cellular
processes that maintain DNA integrity.

Schmalz G, Arentholt-Bindslev D. Biocompatibility of dental materials. Berlin,

Heidelberg: Springer; 2008:7-8
Only those biomaterials (medical devices) that are
labeled “CE” may be used in dental practice in the European
Union