The healing process of bone is influenced by several biochemical, biomechanics, cellular, hormonal and pathological mechanisms. The ideal biomaterials should therefore guarantee the same mechanisms and be able to "heal". At present we do not have such materials at our disposal. We can anyway select among several biomaterials with different characteristics to best suit our need. In this paper we will overview some of the biomaterials used today in bone surgery with regard to their main biological properties as well as their compatibility. (Aging Clin Exp Res 2011; 23 (Suppl. to No. 2): 74-75) (C) 2011, Editrice Kurtis