Characterization of a Bioresorbable Magnesium-Reinforced PLA-Integrated GTR/GBR Membrane as Dental Applications

Biomineral-Based Composite Materials in Regenerative Medicine

Regenerative medicine aims to address substantial defects by amplifying the body's natural regenerative abilities and preserving the health of tissues and organs. To achieve these goals, materials that can provide the spatial and biological support for cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as the micro-environment essential for the intended tissue, are needed. Scaffolds such as polymers and metallic materials provide three-dimensional structures for cells to attach to and grow in defects. These materials have limitations in terms of mechanical properties or biocompatibility. In contrast, biominerals are formed by living organisms through biomineralization, which also includes minerals created by replicating this process. Incorporating biominerals into conventional materials allows for enhanced strength, durability, and biocompatibility. Specifically, biominerals can improve the bond between the implant and tissue by mimicking the micro-environment. This enhances cell differentiation and tissue regeneration. Furthermore, biomineral composites have wound healing and antimicrobial properties, which can aid in wound repair. Additionally, biominerals can be engineered as drug carriers, which can efficiently deliver drugs to their intended targets, minimizing side effects and increasing therapeutic efficacy. This article examines the role of biominerals and their composite materials in regenerative medicine applications and discusses their properties, synthesis methods, and potential uses.

Advances in guided bone regeneration membranes: a comprehensive review of materials and techniques

Guided tissue/bone regeneration (GTR/GBR) is a widely used technique in dentistry to facilitate the regeneration of damaged bone and tissue, which involves guiding materials that eventually degrade, allowing newly created tissue to take its place. This comprehensive review the evolution of biomaterials for guided bone regeneration that showcases a progressive shift from non-resorbable to highly biocompatible and bioactive materials, allowing for more effective and predictable bone regeneration. The evolution of biomaterials for guided bone regeneration GTR/GBR has marked a significant progression in regenerative dentistry and maxillofacial surgery. Biomaterials used in GBR have evolved over time to enhance biocompatibility, bioactivity, and efficacy in promoting bone growth and integration. This review also probes into several promising fabrication techniques like electrospinning and latest 3D printing fabrication techniques, which have shown potential in enhancing tissue and bone regeneration processes. Further, the challenges and future direction of GTR/GBR are explored and discussed.

Dental Materials Applied to 3D and 4D Printing Technologies: A Review

As computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technologies have matured, three-dimensional (3D) printing materials suitable for dentistry have attracted considerable research interest, owing to their high efficiency and low cost for clinical treatment. Three-dimensional printing technology, also known as additive manufacturing, has developed rapidly over the last forty years, with gradual application in various fields from industry to dental sciences. Four-dimensional (4D) printing, defined as the fabrication of complex spontaneous structures that change over time in response to external stimuli in expected ways, includes the increasingly popular bioprinting. Existing 3D printing materials have varied characteristics and scopes of application; therefore, categorization is required. This review aims to classify, summarize, and discuss dental materials for 3D printing and 4D printing from a clinical perspective. Based on these, this review describes four major materials, i.e., polymers, metals, ceramics, and biomaterials. The manufacturing process of 3D printing and 4D printing materials, their characteristics, applicable printing technologies, and clinical application scope are described in detail. Furthermore, the development of composite materials for 3D printing is the main focus of future research, as combining multiple materials can improve the materials' properties. Updates in material sciences play important roles in dentistry; hence, the emergence of newer materials are expected to promote further innovations in dentistry.

Preparation, physicochemical characterization, and in vitro and in vivo osteogenic evaluation of a bioresorbable, moldable, hydroxyapatite/poly(caprolactone-co-lactide) bone substitute

Use of bioresorbable artificial bone substitutes is anticipated for bone augmentation in dental implant surgery because they are relatively economical and uniform in quality compared to heterogeneous bone. In this study, a new shapable, rubbery, bioresorbable bone substitute was developed. The material was prepared by ultrasonically dispersing hydroxyapatite (HA) particles throughout a poly (caprolactone-co-lactide) (PCLLA) rubbery matrix. Physiochemical properties of the bone substitute including its composition, deformability, anti-collapse ability, degradation behavior, and in vitro and in vivo osteogenic ability were evaluated. Results revealed that HA/PCLLA, which consists of homogeneously dispersed HA particles and a rubbery matrix composed of PCLLA, possesses a deformable capacity. The result of the mass retention rate of the material indicated an excellent durability in an aqueous environment. Further, the effects of HA/PCLLA on cell functions and bone-regenerated performance were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that HA/PCLLA had enhanced proliferative capacity, and ability to undergo osteogenic differentiation and mineralization in vitro. It was also found that HA/PCLLA had an appropriate degradation rate to induce consecutive new bone formation without collapse at the early stage in vivo, as well as the ability to maintain the contour of the bone-grafting area, which is comparable to the deproteinized bovine bone mineral. These results indicated that HA/PCLLA is a promising bioresorbable bone substitute with properties that meet clinical requirements, including deformability, resistance to collapse in an aqueous environment, appropriate early-stage degradation rate, biocompatibility, osteogenic bioactivity and the capacity to regenerate bone tissue with favorable contour.

Advances in Modification Methods Based on Biodegradable Membranes in Guided Bone/Tissue Regeneration: A Review

Guided tissue/bone regeneration (GTR/GBR) is commonly applied in dentistry to aid in the regeneration of bone/tissue at a defective location, where the assistive material eventually degrades to be substituted with newly produced tissue. Membranes separate the rapidly propagating soft tissue from the slow-growing bone tissue for optimal tissue regeneration results. A broad membrane exposure area, biocompatibility, hardness, ductility, cell occlusion, membrane void ratio, tissue integration, and clinical manageability are essential functional properties of a GTR/GBR membrane, although no single modern membrane conforms to all of the necessary characteristics. This review considers ongoing bone/tissue regeneration engineering research and the GTR/GBR materials described in this review fulfill all of the basic ISO requirements for human use, as determined through risk analysis and rigorous testing. Novel modified materials are in the early stages of development and could be classified as synthetic polymer membranes, biological extraction synthetic polymer membranes, or metal membranes. Cell attachment, proliferation, and subsequent tissue development are influenced by the physical features of GTR/GBR membrane materials, including pore size, porosity, and mechanical strength. According to the latest advances, key attributes of nanofillers introduced into a polymer matrix include suitable surface area, better mechanical capacity, and stability, which enhances cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Therefore, it is essential to construct a bionic membrane that satisfies the requirements for the mechanical barrier, the degradation rate, osteogenesis, and clinical operability.

ePTFE-based biomedical devices: An overview of surgical efficiency

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a ubiquitous material used for implants and medical devices in general because of its high biocompatibility and inertness: blood vessel, heart, table jawbone, nose, eyes, or abdominal wall can benefit from its properties in case of disease or injury. Its expanded version, ePTFE is an improved version of PTFE with better mechanical properties, which extends its medical applications. A material as frequently used as ePTFE with these exceptional properties deserves a review of its main uses, developments, and possibility of improvements. In this systematic review, we examined clinical trials related to ePTFE-based medical devices from the literature. Then, we excluded all trials using ePTFE as a control to test other devices. ePTFE-coated stents, hemodialysis and bypass grafts, guided bone and tissue regeneration membranes, hernia and heart repair and other devices are reviewed. The rates of success using these devices and their efficiency compared to other materials used for the same purposes are reported. ePTFE appears to be more or just as efficient compared to them. Some success rates remain low, suggesting the need of improvement ePTFE for medical applications.

Corrosion Evaluation of Pure Mg Coated by Fluorination in 0.1 M Fluoride Electrolyte

In the ongoing research on the application of biodegradable materials, surface treatment of is considered to be a relatively effective solution to the excessive degradation rates of Mg alloys. In this study, to further optimize the proven effective surface coatings of fluoride, a low-voltage preparation fluorination method was used to achieve coating effectiveness under safer conditions. Optical observation, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and potential dynamic polarization (PDP) experiments were used for the analysis and evaluation. The coating characteristics of the MgF₂ coatings treated in the 10-90 V voltage range, including the structure, chemical conformation, and electrochemical corrosion assessment, were fully defined. The anodic fluoridation results showed that a pore structure of 1-14 μm thickness was formed on the Mg alloy substrate, and the coating was composed of Mg fluoride. The results of immersion corrosion and electrochemical corrosion experiments showed that compared with pure Mg, anodic fluorinated samples below 40 V exhibited better corrosion resistance, the prepared MgF₂ coating was more uniform, and the surface mostly exhibited point corrosion. When the voltage reached or exceeded 60 V, the prepared coating exhibited poor corrosion resistance, fracture, and protrusions. After corrosion, it mostly exhibited surface corrosion. The results indicate that idealized coatings can be obtained at relatively low and safe voltage ranges. This finding may enable more economical, environmentally friendly, and safe preparation of coatings.