ABSTRACT
Prostheses and implants are described as any material, natural or man-made, that comprises the whole or part of a living structure, or a biomedical device that performs, augments, or replaces a natural function (Ratner et al. 2004). Examples are orthopedic prostheses, oral implant materials, vascular gra¹s, and arti™cial heart valves. Some of these implant types have already been used for many centuries. Around AD 600, the Mayan civilization used nacre tooth implants (Westbroek and Marin 1998). In Europe, an iron dental implant dating back to AD 200 was found. Both implants were properly integrated into the bone. Also, in other parts of the human body, biomaterials have been used for a long time. Sutures may have been used as far back as 32,000 years ago (Ratner and Bryant 2004); however, most of the described biomaterial applications have been used over at least the past 2000 years (Ratner et al. 2004).
