Applications of 3D printing in orthopedics: a scoping review

In light of the increasing adoption of 3D printing in clinical practice, this review aims to provide an updated overview of the current applications of 3D printing in orthopedics and identify the gaps in existing literature.

An electronic database search of PubMed, Embase, Ovid Medline, Cochrane Library, and Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature was performed on 7 April 2023, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines for scoping reviews. The searches were conducted using the keywords relating to "orthopedic" and "three-dimensional printing". No restrictions were placed on the date of publication.

1333 articles were included in the final synthesis of this review. 6 main themes were identified: surgical planning (57.01%), implants (28.73%), prostheses (5.03%), surgical training and education (4.20%), orthosis (3.98%) and patient education (1.05%). Specialties that commonly used 3D printing included trauma, spine, and adult reconstruction. Common anatomical sites included the pelvis, spine, and knee. Titanium was the most used material, followed by polylactic acid and resin. Titanium was predominantly used in 3D-printed implants while polylactic acid and resin were predominantly used during surgical planning. There was a paucity of literature on legal and economic papers.

Existing literature demonstrates the growing applications of 3D printing in orthopedics with the potential for it to address the needs of low-income countries, improve patient outcomes, and enhance surgical practices. However, further research is needed to explore the clinical, and economic aspects and optimization of workflow to establish 3D printing as a standard of care in orthopedics.