Review examines emerging role of 3D printing in periodontal regeneration

A recent review by Researchers at the Department of Periodontology at KSR Institute of Dental Science and Research in Tiruchengode sought to understand how 3D printing could benefit the field of periodontal regenerative therapy.

Reported on by Dental Tribune, the review was undertaken in light of the fact that periodontitis affects approximately 19 percent of the world’s population, impelling the need for strategies that can be effectively used in its treatment.

While various therapies including bone grafts, guided tissue membranes, growth factors and stem cell technology have been used to date, the report notes that “3D printing has recently gained prominence as a novel approach that facilitates optimal cell interactions and promotes the regeneration of biological tissue in periodontal defects.”

The review therefore set out to examine a range of 3D printing technologies, all of which came with their own unique advantages for reconstructing or regenerating the lost periodontium though as Dental Tribune notes, "it is the 3D-printed scaffolds that play a crucial role in periodontal regeneration, as they provide a framework for cell attachment, migration, proliferation and differentiation.”

There are certain requirements that must be met for these scaffolds to be effective which include biocompatibility, porosity and mechanical strength and while 3D printing has developed to a significant extent to meet these requirements and medical demands of periodontal regeneration, the review observes that some areas of the technology still need to develop further with the report noting that it is “far from perfected in terms of periodontal regenerative therapy, mainly owing to high costs, biocompatibility concerns and the need for suitable biomaterials.”

For more on this story including links to the study itself, go to “3D printing is not the perfect answer to periodontal regeneration, but it is getting close”