Histologic Evaluation of Bone Regeneration using Titanium Mesh Prepared by Selective Laser Melting Technique

Abstract

Various biochemical researches have been conducted for bone defects in the head, neck and maxillofacial region. Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR), which does not require any graft material, has focused on. However, GBR has been considered to be difficult to be used for critical-sized bone defects. In recent years, it has been made possible to make three-dimensional (3D) structures by additive manufacturing, which titanium (Ti) powders are successively melted and solidified (Selective Laser Melting technique; SLM). Using this technique, Ti devices in various shapes have been made available for practical use. In this study, we used Ti meshes prepared by SLM in a rat calvaria bone defect model, and examined the bone formation process at the bone defect site. Observations of undecalcified ground samples showed that the amount of new bone formation in 2 weeks postoperatively in the SLM-prepared Ti mesh group was significantly greater than that in the control group. This result suggests that SLM-prepared Ti meshes have a high osteogenic potential in vivo.