Efficacy of 3D-Printed Bioactive Glass Tetrahedral Particles for Vertical Bone Regeneration: A Comparative Study

Abstract

This study was designed to systematically evaluate the osteogenic efficacy of 3D-printed tetrahedral bioactive glass particles in vertical bone regeneration and compare their performance with that of conventional bone substitute materials. In this investigation, 3D tetrahedral bioactive glass particles were fabricated using digital light processing (DLP) additive manufacturing technology. The structural integrity and chemical composition of the particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to confirm their conformity to design specifications. Additionally, three commercially available bone substitutes—Bio-Oss, PerioGlas, and Osteon—were employed as control materials for comparative analysis. In the experimental phase, four types of particulate materials were loaded into titanium buckets, which were then implanted on the calvarial surface of New Zealand white rabbits with surgically drilled cortical perforations at the implantation site. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and histological evaluations were performed at 4 weeks and 12 weeks post-implantation. The results demonstrated that at 4 weeks, the height of new bone formation induced by the 3D-printed tetrahedral bioactive glass particles was 4.67 ± 0.34 mm, with a new bone proportion of 12.42% ± 3.81% and a new bone marrow proportion of 11.58% ± 1.63%. By 12 weeks, no statistically significant differences were observed among the groups in terms of new bone height, new bone proportion, or new bone marrow proportion. However, the 3D-printed particles exhibited a more homogeneous distribution of newly formed bone tissue. The osteogenic efficacy of 3D-printed tetrahedral bioactive glass particles in vertical bone regeneration is comparable to that of traditional bone substitute materials. However, their distinctive tetrahedral structure offers superior uniformity in bone growth. These results indicate that 3D printing technology holds promise for the development of bone substitute materials and merits further optimization as well as clinical translation.