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implants the journal of oral implantology United Kingdom Edition

I news_ implants 08 I implants2_2012 Belgian researchers have developed and produced the first patient-specific, 3-D printed titanium implant. For the first time in the history of implantology, a customised implant has replaced a com- plete mandible. It restored form, func- tion and aesthetic aspects of a natural mandible in a significantly shorter period compared with classical treatments. The Functional Morphology research group at the University of Hasselt’s BIOMED research institute recently pre- sented the first customised 3-D printed mandible, which was implanted in a pa- tient in June 2011. The procedure was conducted on an 83-year-old woman who suffered from serious osteomyeli- tis, which had affected almost the entire mandible. Given the severe and rapidly progres- sive infection in this senior patient’s lower jaw-bone, treatment options were rather limited. The classical treatment, namely removing the damaged bone, would have resulted in a small mandible without any support and function. Re- searchers faced the challenge of restor- ing vital functions, such as breathing, speech, chewing and sensation. The de- cision to reconstruct the entire mandible with a customised 3-D printed implant was made to spare the senior patient a long surgery and shorten the subsequent stay in hospital. It was the first time that a complete mandible was replaced. The artificial jaw weighs approximate- ly 107 grams, which is almost as heavy as a natural mandible. The implant is designed to allow the direct insertion of dental bars or bridge implants at a later stage and therefore provides the perfect foundation for dental restoration. Owing to perfect fit, the surgery was completed in four hours, which is only a quarter of the time needed with the classical meth- od. This spared the patient additional adjustment surgeries and speeded up recovery. Planned and designed by doctors and engineers from various institutions in Belgium and the Netherlands, the im- plant was produced by Layer-Wise, a company experienced in metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology, which is a specific form of 3-D printing used to create implants layer by layer. A high- precision laser selectively heats metal powder particles to quickly melt and at- tach them to the previous layer. The tita- nium model was coated with bioceramic afterwards. AM is used to print functional implant shapes that would otherwise re- quire multiple metal working steps or that cannot be produced any other way. The revolutionary jaw implant was granted the 2012 AM Award by the Addi- tive Manufacturing Network in Belgium._ Doctors implant first customised 3-D printed mandible Author_Claudia Duschek Lower jaw implant