Studies on the performance of selective laser melting porous dental implant by finite element model simulation, fatigue testing and in vivo experiments

Biomaterials have been widely used for stomatological reconstructive surgery in recent years. Many studies have demonstrated that the porous structure of an implant promotes bone ingrowth and its stiffness can be controlled via the design of the porosity. Although some researchers have paid attention to investigating the porous structure for dental implants, the biomechanical properties and osseointegration have not been well studied. In this study, finite element analysis and experiments have been used to evaluate the biomechanical performance and osseointegration of dental implants with porous/solid structures fabricated by selective laser melting using commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti, Grade 2). The implants were tested and the fracture surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscope to investigate the failure mechanisms. To reduce bone resorption, the porosity of dental implant was designed to optimize its stiffness. Finally, animal experiments revealed that bone tissue ingrowth was seen into the porous structure. It is believed that the porous dental implants have great potential in future applications.