Abstract
(1) Background: Bone tissue engineering is a promising tool to develop new smart solutions for regeneration of complex bone districts, from orthopedic to oral and maxillo-facial fields. In this respect, a crucial characteristic for biomaterials is the ability to fully integrate within the patient body. In this work, we developed a novel radiological approach, in substitution to invasive histology, for evaluating the level of osteointegration and osteogenesis, in both qualitative and quantitative manners. (2) SmartBone®, a composite xeno-hybrid bone graft, was selected as the base material because of its remarkable effectiveness in clinical practice. Using pre- and post-surgery computed tomography (CT), we built 3D models that faithfully represented the patient’s anatomy, with special attention to the bone defects. (3) Results: This way, it was possible to assess whether the new bone formation respected the natural geometry of the healthy bone. In all cases of the study (four dental, one maxillo-facial, and one orthopedic) we evaluated the presence of new bone formation and volumetric increase. (4) Conclusion: The newly established radiological protocol allowed the tracking of SmartBone® effective integration and bone regeneration. Moreover, the patient’s anatomy was completely restored in the defect area and functionality completely rehabilitated without foreign body reaction or inflammation.
Highlights
In the last 50 years, remarkable advances have been made in the biomaterials field in general, including those for bone regeneration purposes [1]
The cases included in the study were divided into two groups: The first group (1) included those cases in which the initial SB volume used during surgery was known, because they were custom-made cases in which the initial SB volume used during surgery was known, because they were customimplanted SB blocks (Table 2), blocks designed and manufactured on demand by the made implanted SB blocks (Table 2), blocks designed and manufactured on demand manufacturing company
The increase is considered with respect to the initial defect; comparison is made between grafted SB
Summary
In the last 50 years, remarkable advances have been made in the biomaterials field in general, including those for bone regeneration purposes [1] In this respect, natural and synthetic materials [2] have evolved and are able to properly replicate complex tissue structures, playing an active role in the repair and regeneration of bone defects [3,4]. One of the most successful one, is the use of porous scaffolds [7] that allow, initially, cell migration and nutrients diffusion, and afterwards provide structural support [8] This way, cells can grow in the correct shape and location [9,10]. If properly formulated [22], they ensure, together with resorption profile that can be tailored to desired timeframe [23,24], adequate mechanical support [11,16,25] and promoted interactions between growth factors and progenitor cells allowing their proliferation and differentiation into various types [26,27]
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