(By Dr. Joseph D. Lim and Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI)
THE FIRST successful operation with custom 3D-printed titanium jaw has been carried out.
After four years of research, the Netherlands Cancer Institute and Mobius 3D Technology, a Dutch company, implanted a titanium lower jaw for the first time in a head and neck cancer patient.
The successful operation saw the jaw completely reconstructed based on the patient’s 3D MRI & CT scans.
It was a completely different take on conventional treatment. Tumors in and around the lower jaw are often treated by removing part of the jaw bone (mandible).
The mandible is then reconstructed, if possible, with bone from elsewhere in the body (usually from the fibula, a small bone from the lower leg).
The reconstruction methods is complex and may cause health issues. When using only metal plates, these can break through the skin in about 40 percent of the cases. The screws with which the plate is attached can also come loose.
The new 3D printed mandible exactly fits the defect, has the shape and weight of the original mandible and is much stronger than the plates currently used, according to the Netherlands Cancer Institute.
With the 3D implant, functions such as talking, drinking and eating are preserved.
The implant is much stronger, partly because the forces are optimally distributed with an improved fastening technique. The implant also has a so-called “mesh structure” on the inside which retains the strength of the implant while the prosthesis still feels light for the patient.
The implant can no longer break and the innovative orientation of the fixation screws ensures that the implant stays in place.
According to the Netherlands Cancer Institute, the custom-made implant makes it possible for the jaw to retain its fit; pressure on the overlying mucosa or skin is distributed more evenly.
Together with the Mobius 3D Technologies, the head and neck surgeons of the 3D laboratory of the Netherlands Cancer Institute have worked for years on the innovative jaw implant technology.
The technology is expected to be more widely applicable in 2023/2024.
Research is now underway to further expand the technique for implants elsewhere in the face and skull.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim, Ed. D., is the former Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry, University of the East; former Dean, College of Dentistry, National University; Past President and Honorary Fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy; Honorary Fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists; Honorary Life Member of the Thai Association of Dental Implantology; and Founding Chairman of the Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515.
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Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI, graduated Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of the Philippines, College of Dentistry, Manila, 2011; Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management, De la Salle University, Manila, 2002; and Master of Science (MSc.) in Oral Implantology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, 2019. He is an Associate Professor; Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists; Member, American Academy of Implant Dentistry and Fellow, Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail limdentalcenter@gmail.com./PN
