Nanocomposites for Enhanced Osseointegration of Dental and Orthopedic Implants Revisited: Surface Functionalization by Carbon Nanomaterial Coatings

On the Use of Nanoparticles in Dental Implants

Results obtained in physics, chemistry and materials science on nanoparticles have drawn significant interest in the use of nanostructures on dental implants. The main focus concerns nanoscale surface modifications of titanium-based dental implants in order to increase the surface roughness and provide a better bone-implant interfacial area. Surface coatings via the sol-gel process ensure the deposition of a homogeneous layer of nanoparticles or mixtures of nanoparticles on the titanium substrate. Nanotubular structures created on the titanium surface by anodic oxidation yield an interesting nanotopography for drug release. Carbon-based nanomaterials hold great promise in the field of dentistry on account of their outstanding mechanical properties and their structural characteristics. Carbon nanomaterials that include carbon nanotubes, graphene and its derivatives (graphene oxide and graphene quantum dots) can be used as coatings of the implant surface. Their antibacterial properties as well as their ability to be functionalized with adequate chemical groups make them particularly useful for improving biocompatibility and promoting osseointegration. Nevertheless, an evaluation of their possible toxicity is required before being exploited in clinical trials.

3D printed membranes of polylactic acid and graphene oxide for guided bone regeneration

We fabricated graphene oxide (GO)-incorporated polylactic acid (PLA) (GO-PLA) films by using three-dimensional (3D) printing to explore their potential benefits as barrier membranes for guided bone regeneration (GBR). Our results showed that the 3D printed GO-PLA films provided highly favorable matrices for preosteoblasts and accelerated new bone formation in rat calvarial bone defect models.

Enhanced mechanical performance of mSLA-printed biopolymer nanocomposites due to phase functionalization

Functionalized phases can effectively increase the mechanical properties of nanocomposites through interfacial bonding. This work demonstrates masked stereolithography (mSLA) of biopolymer-based nanocomposites and the improvement of their mechanical properties by the functionalization of both polymer matrix and nanoparticles with methacrylate groups. 3D printable nanocomposite inks were prepared from plant-derived acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO), polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA), and nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA). Both AESO and nHA were further functionalized with additional methacrylate groups. We hypothesized that the additional functionalization of AESO and surface functionalization of nHA would improve the tensile strength and fracture toughness of these nanocomposites by increasing the degree of crosslinking and the strength of the interface between the matrix and nanoparticles. Curing efficiency, rheology, and print-fidelity of the nanocomposites were evaluated. Mechanical test specimens were prepared by mSLA-based 3D printing. Tensile mechanical properties, Poisson's ratio, and Mode-I fracture toughness were measured by following ASTM standards. Fracture surfaces of the tested specimens were studied using scanning electron microscopy. Thermomechanical behavior, especially glass transition temperature (T_g), was studied using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Functionalized AESO (mAESO) improved rheological, tensile, and fracture mechanical properties. For instance, by replacing AESO with mAESO, tensile strength, Young's modulus, fracture toughness (K_1c), and T_g increased by 33%, 53%, 40%, and 38% respectively. In addition, the combination of both functionalized nHA and mAESO improved the fracture toughness of the 10% volume fraction nHA nanocomposites but made them less extensible presumably due to reduced chain mobility due to greater crosslinking.

Potential of Carbon-Based Nanocomposites for Dental Tissue Engineering and Regeneration

While conventional dental implants focus on mechanical properties, recent advances in functional carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) accelerated the facilitation of functionalities including osteoinduction, osteoconduction, and osseointegration. The surface functionalization with CNMs in dental implants has emerged as a novel strategy for reinforcement and as a bioactive cue due to their potential for mechanical reinforcing, osseointegration, and antimicrobial properties. Numerous developments in the fabrication and biological studies of CNMs have provided various opportunities to expand their application to dental regeneration and restoration. In this review, we discuss the advances in novel dental implants with CNMs in terms of tissue engineering, including material combination, coating strategies, and biofunctionalities. We present a brief overview of recent findings and progression in the research to show the promising aspect of CNMs for dental implant application. In conclusion, it is shown that further development of surface functionalization with CNMs may provide innovative results with clinical potential for improved osseointegration after implantation.

The usage of composite nanomaterials in biomedical engineering applications

Nanotechnology is still developing over the decades and it is commonly used in biomedical applications with the design of nanomaterials due to the several purposes. With the investigation of materials on the molecular level has increased the develop composite nanomaterials with exceptional properties using in different applications and industries. The application of these composite nanomaterials is widely used in the fields of textile, chemical, energy, defense industry, electronics, and biomedical engineering which is growing and developing on human health. Development of biosensors for the diagnosis of diseases, drug targeting and controlled release applications, medical implants and imaging techniques are the research topics of nanobiotechnology. In this review, overview of the development of nanotechnology and applications which is use of composite nanomaterials in biomedical engineering is provided.