3D Porous Bone Void Plug for Dental Augmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bone grafting materials, such as allogenic cancellous bone, are limited in availability, costly, and painful to obtain, and existing bone void fillers lack volume stability, making them inadequate for effective bone augmentation and dental implant placement.
Innovation Solution
The development of three-dimensional (3D) porous bone void plugs formed from reconstituted cortical bone, which are volume stable and can be customized to maintain shape and promote bone growth by exposing bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP), using materials like autograft, allograft, xenograft, synthetic, or artificial bone, and manufactured through methods like 3D printing and demineralization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional allogenic cancellous bone is used for bone grafting, then bone growth promotion is achieved, but availability is limited and cost is prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates artificial bone void plugs that copy the essential functional properties of natural cancellous bone, including porosity, pore size distribution, and structural architecture, without requiring actual biological bone tissue. This allows mass production of bone graft substitutes with consistent properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention systematically varies key parameters such as porosity (30-90%), pore diameter (10-500 micrometers), and plug dimensions to optimize bone growth promotion while enabling standardized manufacturing. These parameter adjustments allow customization without compromising availability.
2Reliability
If conventional allogenic cancellous bone is used for bone grafting, then bone growth promotion is achieved, but cost is prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
By replicating the functional structure of natural bone through artificial materials rather than processing actual bone tissue, the invention eliminates the high costs associated with donor procurement, processing, and banking of allogenic bone while maintaining osteoinductive properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The ability to adjust manufacturing parameters such as porosity and pore size during production allows for cost-effective optimization of bone growth properties without requiring expensive post-processing or customization of each graft.
3Quantity of substance
If bone void filler in paste or putty form is used, then bone void filling is achieved, but volume stability is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs porous cylindrical plugs with controlled pore structures that maintain rigid framework integrity while accommodating bone infiltration. The porous structure provides mechanical stability and volume maintenance unlike paste or putty formulations that collapse or resorb.
Solution Approach 2:
The bone void plugs utilize composite material structures combining rigid outer frameworks with interconnected porous interiors, creating a stable yet bioactive construct that maintains volume while facilitating bone regeneration through the porous network.
4Strength
If cortical bone is used to form 3D bone void plugs, then strength characteristics are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous cortical bone structures that maintain high strength-to-weight ratios through optimized pore architectures. The controlled porosity provides mechanical strength while enabling bone ingrowth, avoiding the need for complex solid structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines cortical bone's strength properties with porous structural designs, creating composite-like constructs that achieve both mechanical integrity and biological functionality through integrated material-structure optimization rather than complex assembly.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The 3D bone void plugs provide a stable scaffold for bone regeneration, maintaining shape and integrity, and can be tailored to patient-specific needs, enhancing bone growth and suitability for dental implant placement by ensuring sufficient bone volume and strength.
Implementation Method 1
the bone void plug of the present disclosure is volume stable. That is, the shape of the bone void plug is substantially maintained after hydration
Implementation Method 2
The cortical bone can be 3D milled or reconstituted and can be demineralized to expose a desired percentage or proportion of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP)
Implementation Method 3
three-dimensional (3D) porous bone void plugs that are formed from a reconstituted cortical bone graft
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for making a bone plug using cortical bone material. A patient jaw having insufficient bone at a surgical site may be scanned to provide a 3D image which may be used to design a virtual bone plug and to fabricate the bone plug for placement within the patient. The bone plug may be formed from cortical bone that can be reconstituted and demineralized or demineralized and milled to shape.