Recently there has been remarkable progress in regenerative medicine, and almost all disorders in the oral and maxillofacial region fall within the scope of research on regenerative medicine. Treatments in this region have been well established using biomaterials, prostheses and microsurgery. To improve upon conventional approaches, regenerative medicine as an alternative should adopt a less invasive and/or more effective approach. In this report, we present our basic and clinical research on bone regenerative medicine in the oral and maxillofacial region.
Recently, in situ tissue engineering such as distraction osteogenesis and transplantation of particulate cancellous bone and marrow （PCBM） has been applied in mandibular reconstruction. This approach takes advantage of the natural process of bone formation in humans. We have tried to develop artificial bone that maximizes bone formation at the transplanted site, but is subsequently replaced by autologous bone. We have made custom-made artificial bone based on CT （CT-Bone） using α-TCP particles and an ink-jet printer, and have conducted clinical research and trials on 30 patients. In each case, improvement of maxillofacial morphology has been observed with no major complications thus far.
