3D Printing of Bone Substitutes Based on Vat Photopolymerization Processes: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Current treatments for critical-sized bone defects (e.g., metal implants, bone grafts) have limitations.
• Additive manufacturing, specifically vat photopolymerization (VP), presents a promising alternative for creating bone scaffolds.
• VP allows for high-resolution printing of complex scaffold architectures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and compare various vat photopolymerization processes for bone tissue engineering.
• To evaluate the interaction of VP resin components with musculoskeletal cells and tissues.
• To identify challenges and potential solutions for clinical application of VP-printed bone scaffolds.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of vat photopolymerization techniques in bone defect treatment.
• Analysis of resin materials used in VP and their biocompatibility.
• Comparison of VP capabilities with other 3D printing methods.
• Evaluation of mechanical properties and scalability for clinical use.

Main Results:

• Vat photopolymerization demonstrates superior printing capabilities compared to other methods.
• Various biocompatible materials are available for VP.
• Single-material VP constructs currently fail to achieve sufficient mechanical strength or clinical scale.
• Multimaterial VP holds potential for creating advanced constructs.

Conclusions:

• Vat photopolymerization is a powerful technique for fabricating complex bone scaffold architectures.
• Achieving clinically relevant mechanical strength and scale requires further innovation beyond single-material approaches.
• Adaptive hybrid constructs using multimaterial VP offer a promising direction for future bone defect regeneration.