Needs and trends for biomaterials and biodevices in oral and maxillofacial surgery

✍ Scribed by D. Muster; C. Meyer

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 477 KB
• Volume: 37
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0933-5137
• DOI: 10.1002/mawe.200600024

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The evolution of the devices used for the fracture fixation is now oriented toward the bioresorbable materials (PLA, PGA, PDX) which should gradually replace the metallic materials (titanium, SS) in the next 10‐15 years. The osteosynthesis devices will have to fulfil more precise biomechanical criteria, in certain anatomical zones (i.e. trapezoidal plates for the mandibular condyle).

The most known TMJ prostheses are either definitive prostheses (no more available on the European market, only in the American market) or temporary condylar prostheses. In this field the lag compared with the orthopaedics is certainly over 20 years. Very few biomechanical studies have been performed and there is few interest from the industrials in Europe for this type of prostheses because of the small number of cases and the scarcity of the indications.

Numerous materials of all classes have been tried as bone substitutes but all are lacking of osteoinductivity and therefore combined materials are largely studied. Actually, in maxillofacial surgery, the most used materials are HA, TCP, Coral eventually enriched with growth factors. Concerning tissue engineering, nice models are elaborated in various laboratories in the world but huge difficulties remain regarding the optimal molecular environment and the biomechanical functionality.