Trabecular structures as efficient surface of dental implants

摘要

Fast development of additive manufacturing methods provides for production of advanced porous structures which form external layers of implants. Since implants usually replace parts of missing or damaged bone, its external layers are close to bone structure. Today, most of the porous structures which are used for implants are trabecular structures, composed of beams. Design of the structures depends on the type of implants, width of layers etc. Small implants, such as dental implants, have very thin external layers (～200 μm), which means that the structure is very fine. The quality of 3D printed structures therefore depends heavily on accuracy of current 3D printers (SLM method). Problems of 3D printing which can lead to implant failure are cracks inside of beams, their poor interconnection, etc. The study is focused on the quality control of 3D printed trabecular structures, especially with respect to implant stability in bones and minimization of a risk of structural damage. The quality of the structures was evaluated by optical and microscopic analysis using SEM. Based on the results, we suggest substituting the trabecular structures by a gyroid structure composed of a system of walls. Gyroid structures are not prone to local discontinuities and have other advantages such as absence of sharp corners and edges, which contribute to better proliferation of bone cells.