Abstract
This study was conducted to compare 3D-printed polycaprolactone (PCL) and polycaprolactone/β-tricalcium phosphate (PCL/β-TCP) membranes with a conventional commercial collagen membrane in terms of their abilities to facilitate guided bone regeneration (GBR). Fabricated membranes were tested for dry and wet mechanical properties. Fibroblasts and preosteoblasts were seeded into the membranes and rates and patterns of proliferation were analyzed using a kit-8 assay and by scanning electron microscopy. Osteogenic differentiation was verified by alizarin red S and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining. An in vivo experiment was performed using an alveolar bone defect beagle model, in which defects in three dogs were covered with different membranes. CT and histological analyses at eight weeks after surgery revealed that 3D-printed PCL/β-TCP membranes were more effective than 3D-printed PCL, and substantially better than conventional collagen membranes in terms of biocompatibility and bone regeneration and, thus, at facilitating GBR.
Highlights
Guided bone regeneration (GBR) is the most common method used for treating bone defects in implant dentistry, and many studies have reported it produces satisfactory results [1,2,3,4]
PCL/β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) membranes had a slightly higher elastic modulus than PCL membranes (p < 0.05). These results show that the mechanical strength of collagen is significantly reduced under wet conditions, whereas PCL and PCL/β-TCP membranes were relatively unaffected (Table 1)
guided bone regeneration (GBR) membranes were fabricated using an extrusion-based 3D printer, which has been the subject of several studies. [17,18,24,25] A strong merit of extrusion-based 3D printing systems is that they enable composited biomaterials, such as, PCL, poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), and their blends to be used
Summary
Guided bone regeneration (GBR) is the most common method used for treating bone defects in implant dentistry, and many studies have reported it produces satisfactory results [1,2,3,4]. GBR provides a means of inducing new bone formation without perturbing soft tissues This technique requires that a membrane be placed above a bone defect site to inhibit fibroblast influx from adjacent epithelium and connective tissue, and to maintain a space for bone regeneration, which involves the infiltration of blood vessels from adjacent old bone and the differentiation and proliferation of osteoblasts [5,6,7]. Resorbable membranes are being increasingly used in clinical practice as their limitations have been largely addressed These include low space-maintaining ability due to weak mechanical properties, and rapid degradation and absorption [11,12]. Studies have focused on improving the space-maintaining abilities and mechanical properties of resorbable membranes using different fabrication methods and synthetic biodegradable materials [13,14,15]. Of the various fabrication methods used, in combination with synthetic biodegradable materials, three-dimensional (3D) printing enables resorbable membranes to be made without toxic solvents and allows membrane thicknesses, pore sizes, and shapes to be adjusted to create favorable environments for cells
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