Functional and aesthetic outcomes of electron beam-melted titanium reconstruction plates: an in vivo goat study

Background: Titanium dense and porous structures are widely used as maxillofacial and orthopaedics implants due to its excellent mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. Additive manufacturing allows the fabrication of implants with improved mechanical properties and modulus of elasticity close to that of bone. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the functional and anatomical aspects of the mandibular bone response on implantation of electron beam melted titanium dense and porous plates. Methods: A total of 10 mandibular reconstruction plates are custom designed and fabricated using Electron Beam Melting (EBM) technology and are implanted into the mandibular region of goats. The EBM plates are then assessed clinically using radio graphical analysis to study the functional and anatomical aspects. Results: The EBM fabricated plates remained stable throughout the study of 12 weeks indicating anatomic and functional stability. At post-operative, there was good wound healing at the surgical site without any dehiscence of body reaction. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that the EBM fabricated mandibular reconstruction plate’s exhibits good biocompatibility in addition to anatomical and functional stability. Additionally, histopathological study is necessary to further evaluate the tissue reaction around the EBM reconstruction plates.