Optimising bone regeneration in dentistry
The University of Liège is a member of the BIOPTOS consortium (Biomateriaux Imprimés 3D et OPTimisés pour la régénération OSseuse bucco-dentaire), which has recently developed a new concept based on 3D printing that makes it possible to optimise oral bone regeneration This innovative approach opens the way to new therapeutic solutions for bone reconstruction. This study is published in the top-tier materials science journal Advanced Functional Materials.
Usually caused by trauma or infection, tooth loss can lead to functional (chewing), esthetic, psychological, and social impacts on the life of individuals. Missing teeth can be replaced with dental implants. However, the placement of implants requires adequate alveolar bone volume, and tooth loss frequently results in bone loss. Therefore, the regeneration of alveolar bone is often needed before implant(s) can be placed. This is the case with the (GBR) procedure, which was introduced several decades ago and has proven to be a safe and predictable technique, with reliable long-term results. Nowadays, this technique is is one of the most commonly used procedures in oral bone regeneration and implantology.
Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) technique is used to reconstruct alveolar bone and this approach is based on the use of a bone substitute biomaterial combined with a barrier membrane. Clinically, the most commonly used bone substitute is bovine hydroxyapatite in the form of small granules (xenograft). Although this biomaterial is suitable for the treatment of small bone defects, its lack of stability makes its use difficult and unreliable when reconstructing larger defects.
Today, in line with personalised regenerative medicine and digital technologies, there is a growing interest in synthetic bone regeneration biomaterials with a customised three-dimensional (3D) shape, perfectly adapted to the patient's bone defect. The internal architecture of these bone substitute blocks can also influence the behaviour of cells and thus the efficiency of regeneration. In the scientific literature, however, there is no consensus on the choice of internal design for these customised bone substitutes and researchers generally test them without a biomechanical basis.
It is in this context that the BIOPTOS consortium—which includes Liesbet Geris - Director of the Biomech Research Unit (GIGA - ULiège), France Lambert - Head of the Department of Periodontology, Oral and Implant Surgery, Co-director of the dental-Biomaterials Research Unit (d-BRU) and Dorien Van hede - post-doctoral researcher at the d-BRU of the ULiège Faculty of Medicine—developed and validated the concept of a 3D printed synthetic block with an in silico optimised internal design for bone regeneration. Computer modelling, developed by Liesbet Geris' research unit, makes it possible to predict the effect of internal design on bone regeneration," explains Dorien Van Hede. This makes it easier to choose the most promising geometry to test in an in vivo model. This is an innovative approach, which also makes it possible to limit animal experimentation, and which has also shown a very promising effect of the "Gyroid" design* with greater bone formation in vivo compared to a classic orthogonal design or the "Gold standard" granules currently used in the clinic. This research paves the way for new therapeutic solutions for bone reconstruction, both in dentistry and in orthopaedic and maxillofacial surgery.
* A gyroid is an infinitely connected triply periodic minimal surface discovered by Alan Schoen in 1970.
Scientific reference
Dorien Van hede, Bingbing Liang, Sandy Anania, Mojtaba Barzegari, Bruno Verlée, Grégory Nolens, Justine Pirson, Liesbet Geris, and France Lambert, 3D-Printed Synthetic Hydroxyapatite Scaffold With In Silico Optimized Macrostructure Enhances Bone Formation In Vivo, Advanced Functional Materials, November 2021. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202105002.
