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Laser Sintered Porous Ti–6Al–4V Implants Stimulate Vertical Bone Growth

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the ability of 3D implants with trabecular-bone-inspired porosity and micro-/nano-rough surfaces to enhance vertical bone ingrowth. Porous Ti–6Al–4V constructs were fabricated via laser-sintering and processed to obtain micro-/nano-rough surfaces. Male and female human osteoblasts were seeded on constructs to analyze cell morphology and response. Implants were then placed on rat calvaria for 10 weeks to assess vertical bone ingrowth, mechanical stability and osseointegration. All osteoblasts showed higher levels of osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin, vascular endothelial growth factor and bone morphogenetic protein 2 on porous constructs compared to solid laser-sintered controls. Porous implants placed in vivo resulted in an average of 3.1 ± 0.6 mm3 vertical bone growth and osseointegration within implant pores and had significantly higher pull-out strength values than solid implants. New bone formation and pull-out strength was not improved with the addition of demineralized bone matrix putty. Scanning electron images and histological results corroborated vertical bone growth. This study indicates that Ti–6Al–4V implants fabricated by additive manufacturing to have porosity based on trabecular bone and post-build processing to have micro-/nano-surface roughness can support vertical bone growth in vivo, and suggests that these implants may be used clinically to increase osseointegration in challenging patient cases.

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Acknowledgments

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number AR052102. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The authors would like to thank AB Dental for generously donating materials for this study. AC was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. BDB is a paid consultant for Titan Spine LLC and an unpaid consultant for Institut Straumann AG. ZS is a paid consultant for AB Dental.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Alice Cheng & Barbara D. Boyan

  2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China

    Alice Cheng

  3. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    David J. Cohen, Ryan M. Clohessy, Kaan Sahingur, Joseph B. Newton, Sharon L. Hyzy, Barbara D. Boyan & Zvi Schwartz

  4. Department of Oral Surgery, University of Tel-Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Adrian Kahn

  5. Department of Periodontics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Zvi Schwartz

  6. School of Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, 601 West Main Street, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA

    Barbara D. Boyan

Authors
  1. Alice Cheng
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  2. David J. Cohen
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  3. Adrian Kahn
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  4. Ryan M. Clohessy
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  5. Kaan Sahingur
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  6. Joseph B. Newton
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  7. Sharon L. Hyzy
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  8. Barbara D. Boyan
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  9. Zvi Schwartz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Barbara D. Boyan.

Additional information

Associate Editor Sean S. Kohles oversaw the review of this article.

Alice Cheng and David J. Cohen contributed equally to this work.

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Cheng, A., Cohen, D.J., Kahn, A. et al. Laser Sintered Porous Ti–6Al–4V Implants Stimulate Vertical Bone Growth. Ann Biomed Eng 45, 2025–2035 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-017-1831-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-017-1831-7

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