Design and construction of a custom implant of the temporomandibular joint produced by additive manufacturing in titanium alloy from computed tomography

Abstract

Biomodels are physical reproductions of anatomical structures of regions or organs of the human body used for diagnosis and surgical planning. The use of tomographic images for generating 3D models and manufacturing of biomodels has been awakening a great interest in the medical area. It is possible, with the use of medical images, to generate representative computer models, thus enabling several simulations and biomechanical analysis of the region or organ of interest, aiming at the manufacture of customized prosthesis or orthesis. In this work we present the project of a customized implant of the TMJ, mechanically ordered and manufactured in titanium alloy by the additive manufacturing process of DMLS. Through the model created for the TMJ region, computer simulations of stresses and deformations were performed on the mandible virtually implanted in the patient, considering severe stresses of human chewing applied to the frontal teeth. With the data from the computer simulations the prosthesis was analyzed through a conventional analytical design process to verify the fatigue failure resistance. The implant was fabricated in titanium alloy by additive manufacturing and was realized physical simulations of the coupling of the prosthesis in the biomodel of the mandible fabricated by three-dimensional printing.