Mid Sweden University

Substantial volume defects of the head and neck oftenrequire customized solutions to improve quality of life likefree flap transfers.Titanium and its alloys are versatile materialsproviding the feature of osteointegration. The conditionswhich facilitate the deposition of lamellar bone are underextensive research. Our project aimed to determine whethertitanium can function as a scaffold - unlike simple plates - toenhance bone regeneration for load bearing structures. Thereaction of stem cells to scaffolds with varying stiffness willbe presented.Additive manufacturing were used to produce a variety ofscaffolds to optimize titanium structures. Electric beam melting(EBM) manufacturing allowed us to optimize the elasticmodulus (Young) of the titanium to match with cadaveric 

bone from a previous project. Multidirectional mechanicaltests were performed on the various designs of titanium cellstructures (n=80). The predictability and quality of manufacturingwas assessed statistically and also with scanningelectron microscope (SEM).The results demonstrated structures matching the mechanicalproperties of bone and even anisotropy as our resultssuggest 3GPa elasticity. This allows the possibility to buildregenerating bone with predictable properties. In addition,predictable patterning - unlike etching and sandblasting - ofmicroscopic (nano) features found to be significant and nonhomogenous simple repetitive patterns provide better cellularresponse.The benefit that tissue engineering techniques offer isdecreased morbidity, relative independence from donor site,with a highly specific and customized shape. Titanium basedreconstruction constructs seems to offer an alternative futurefor bony reconstruction.