Fabrication of polymer root form scaffolds to be utilized for alveolar bone regeneration

Engineering dental tissues and organs is primarily motivated by a clinical need to restore these lost or diseased structures, in contrast to the use of harvested tissue. The present work focused on designing and characterizing scaffolds suitable for cultivation and implantation into the fresh extraction sockets of teeth, for the purpose of alveolar bone regeneration at a rate and quality higher than that of normal tissue healing for subsequent treatment with dental implants. Three-dimensional hollow root form scaffolds were prepared from poly-L-lactic acid/polyglycolic acid composites (50/50, 65/35, and 75/25 ratios), using the solvent casting compression molding particulate leaching technique. Two different salt particle sizes were used, 150-180 and 180-300 microm, to effect porogenesis. The scaffolds were characterized in vitro and in vivo. The highest percent porosity recorded was 75% with interconnectivity shown by scanning electron microscopy. The scaffolds demonstrated viscoelastic behavior and average strain in response to both static and dynamic forces that were suitable for them under bite-force magnitude anteriorly. The degradation of the root scaffolds depended on composite type, and on salt particle size. Tissue reaction favored samples made with large salt particle size.