Dental BioFabrication
Inside Dental Technology delivers updates on digital workflows, materials, lab techniques, and innovation in dental technology through expert articles and videos.
January 1, 2021
Volume 12, Issue 1, January 2021
Page(s): p. 32
Daniel Alter, MSc, MDT, CDT
A recent article in Biotechnology and Bioengineering delved into this subject and suggested that although we are certainly not there yet, "mimicking such 3D complexity and the multicellular interactions naturally existing in dental structures represents great challenges in dental regeneration. Attempts to construct the complex system of the tooth and tooth-supporting apparatus (i.e., the PDL, alveolar bone, and cementum) have made certain progress owing to 3D printing biotechnology. Recent advances have enabled the 3D printing of biocompatible materials, seed cells, and supporting components into complex 3D functional living tissue. Furthermore, 3D bioprinting is driving major innovations in regenerative medicine, giving the field of regenerative dentistry a boost. The fabrication of scaffolds via 3D printing is already being performed extensively at the laboratory bench and in clinical trials; however, printing living cells and matrix materials together to produce tissue constructs by 3D bioprinting remains limited to the regeneration of dental pulp and the tooth germ."1
3D bioprinting lends itself effectively to the dental laboratory market, in a production form called biofabrication. Although dental biofabrication is not ready for prime time, it will certainly be in the future; therefore, dental laboratory professionals should prepare to establish strategies by which they can participate in some form or another. What will the dental laboratory of the future look like and how will we be fabricating restorations for our clients and their patients in the future? These are all questions that we must ask ourselves often in order to remain nimble and viable, not only now but in the future as well, so that we can sustain and thrive in our dental laboratory businesses.
It is my great honor and pleasure to elevate and inspire with knowledge.
1. Ma Y, Xie L, Yang B, Tian W. Three-dimensional printing biotechnology for the regeneration of the tooth and tooth-supporting tissues. Biotechnol Bioeng. 2019 Feb;116(2):452-468. doi: 10.1002/bit.26882. Epub 2018 Dec 14. PMID: 30475386.
