Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an emerging technology in the field of dentistry. It uses a layer-by-layer manufacturing technique to create scaffolds that can be used for dental tissue engineering applications. While several 3D printing methodologies exist, such as selective laser sintering or fused deposition modeling, this paper will review the applications of 3D printing for craniofacial tissue engineering; in particular for the periodontal complex, dental pulp, alveolar bone, and cartilage. For the periodontal complex, a 3D printed scaffold was attempted to treat a periodontal defect; for dental pulp, hydrogels were created that can support an odontoblastic cell line; for bone and cartilage, a polycaprolactone scaffold with microspheres induced the formation of multiphase fibrocartilaginous tissues. While the current research highlights the development and potential of 3D printing, more research is required to fully understand this technology and for its incorporation into the dental field.
Highlights
Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an emerging additive manufacturing technique capable of building complex 3D geometric structures, which can be used as scaffolds for craniofacial tissue engineering including the fabrication of biocompatible polymeric implants, the replication of intricate matrix geometries, and the development of biodegradable scaffolds, to cultivate transplantable tissues or organ replacements
The polymer category encompasses a wide variety of materials that can range from being soft to hard, or synthetic to natural, the most commonly used polymers in craniofacial tissue engineering include PCL, poly ethyl ether ketone (PEEK), polylactic acid (PLA), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and chitosan [2,39,40]; the choice of polymer will depend on the goal of the researcher
The Fused deposition modeling (FDM) printing of ceramics is briefly outlined in a review by Obregon and colleagues, where scaffold manufacturing consists of three phases that use organic particles to facilitate flowability, which are burned out with high temperatures leaving behind primarily the inorganic ceramic particles [37]
Summary
Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an emerging additive manufacturing technique capable of building complex 3D geometric structures, which can be used as scaffolds for craniofacial tissue engineering including the fabrication of biocompatible polymeric implants, the replication of intricate matrix geometries, and the development of biodegradable scaffolds, to cultivate transplantable tissues or organ replacements. Several studies have successfully developed structures with relevant characteristics for regenerative dentistry—hydroxyapatite (HA) modified hydrogels have been reported suitable for bone bioprinting due to their osteosupportive and osteoinductive properties [5] Polymers such as polycaprolactone (PCL) have been reinforced with HA particles and 3D printed, resulting in scaffolds with good bioactivity shown by their in vitro apatite-forming ability [6]. All of them can encapsulate cells or particles of interest in the hydrogel bioink After printing, all these techniques provide cells with a 3D environment that mimics the biological conditions found in vivo. The main advantages of this technique include high-speed printability, low cost, and the possibility to encapsulate cells in the material [10]. The implanted scaffolds were osteoconductive while being biodegradable [12]
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