One vs. two piece customized implants to reconstruct mandibular continuity defects: a preliminary study in pig...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Mandibular continuity defects pose reconstruction challenges.
• Bridging plates often result in complications.
• Customized implants offer a potential alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the bone-implant interface stability of one-piece versus two-piece customized mandibular implants.
• To evaluate the efficacy of LaserCUSING® technology in fabricating patient-specific implants.

Main Methods:

• Thirty pig mandibles were used, with defects created and reconstructed using one-piece or two-piece custom pure titanium implants (LaserCUSING®).
• Static and dynamic bonding strength tests were performed.
• Digital Image Correlation measured distortion for orientation analysis.

Main Results:

• The two-piece implant design exhibited greater bonding strength than the one-piece design.
• High primary stability was indicated by fractures on the non-operated side in all treated mandibles.
• The reference group showed the highest bonding strength.

Conclusions:

• The two-piece customized mandibular implant manufactured via LaserCUSING® technology shows promise.
• Further investigation into two-piece custom implants is warranted for mandibular reconstruction.