Three-dimensional (3D) printing is becoming an increasingly common technique to fabricate scaffolds and devices for tissue engineering applications. This is due to the potential of 3D printing to provide patient-specific designs, high structural complexity, rapid on-demand fabrication at a low-cost. One of the major bottlenecks that limits the widespread acceptance of 3D printing in biomanufacturing is the lack of diversity in “biomaterial inks”. Printability of a biomaterial is determined by the printing technique. Although a wide range of biomaterial inks including polymers, ceramics, hydrogels and composites have been developed, the field is still struggling with processing of these materials into self-supporting devices with tunable mechanics, degradation, and bioactivity. This review aims to highlight the past and recent advances in biomaterial ink development and design considerations moving forward. A brief overview of 3D printing technologies focusing on ink design parameters is also included.

Designing Biomaterials for 3D Printing

Three-dimensional (3D) printing enables the production of anatomically matched and patient-specific devices and constructs with high tunability and complexity. It also allows on-demand fabrication with high productivity in a cost-effective manner. As a result, 3D printing has become a leading manufacturing technique in healthcare and medicine for a wide range of applications including dentistry, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, engineered tissue models, medical devices, anatomical models and drug formulation. Today, 3D printing is widely adopted by the healthcare industry and academia. It provides commercially available medical products and a platform for emerging research areas including tissue and organ printing. In this review, our goal is to discuss the current and emerging applications of 3D printing in medicine. A brief summary on additive manufacturing technologies and available printable materials is also given. The technological and regulatory barriers that are slowing down the full implementation of 3D printing in the medical field are also discussed.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1758-5090/aa7279/pdf

Current and emerging applications of 3D printing in medicine.

Stereolithography is a solid freeform technique (SFF) that was introduced in the late 1980s Although many other techniques have been developed since then, stereolithography remains one of the most powerful and versatile of all SFF techniques It has the highest fabrication accuracy and an increasing number of materials that can be processed is becoming available In this paper we discuss the characteristic features of the stereolithography technique and compare it to other SFF techniques The biomedical applications of stereolithography are reviewed, as well as the biodegradable resin materials that have been developed for use with stereolithography Finally, an overview of the application of stereolithography in preparing porous structures for tissue engineering is given

A review on stereolithography and its applications in biomedical engineering

Binder jet 3D printing—Process parameters, materials, properties, modeling, and challenges

3D Printed Versus Conventionally Cured Provisional Crown and Bridge Dental Materials

3D printing has been hailed as a disruptive technology which will change manufacturing. Used in aerospace, defence, art and design, 3D printing is becoming a subject of great interest in surgery. The technology has a particular resonance with dentistry, and with advances in 3D imaging and modelling technologies such as cone beam computed tomography and intraoral scanning, and with the relatively long history of the use of CAD CAM technologies in dentistry, it will become of increasing importance. Uses of 3D printing include the production of drill guides for dental implants, the production of physical models for prosthodontics, orthodontics and surgery, the manufacture of dental, craniomaxillofacial and orthopaedic implants, and the fabrication of copings and frameworks for implant and dental restorations. This paper reviews the types of 3D printing technologies available and their various applications in dentistry and in maxillofacial surgery.

3D printing in dentistry.

Peri-implantitis has been described as progressive crestal bone loss around a dental implant. The condition is poorly understood, and is challenging to manage; it is commonly and widely attributed to issues with the implant, the implant surface, surgical technique and oral hygiene. The effect of prosthodontic stages of treatment on the postoperatively established state has not been adequately investigated. It is the authors' contention that the manner in which the implant is restored contributes significantly to prognosis and peri-implant disease experience, and that the role of prosthodontic aspects of treatment in the causation of peri-implantitis may be seriously underestimated. The prosthodontist has a clear role and responsibility in the avoidance of future peri-implant problems by ensuring that implants are restored in an entirely biologically and biomechanically sound manner. The number of implant treatments carried out year-on-year is rising apace, with more and more implants being restored in general dental practice. With the rapid emergence of lower cost dental implant systems and a broadening range of generic restorative options and components for well-established systems, there is an increasing need to consider and understand how the implant restorative process may have a negative impact upon the peri-implant tissues, and how this effect may be minimised and peri-implant health promoted and maintained by paying attention to detail throughout the entire process.

B. Marti Marti

Papers

3D printing in dentistry.

Peri-implantitis and the prosthodontist.