Personalized 3D-printed scaffolds to rebuild gum and jawbone support
Personalized Strategies for Periodontal Tissue Regeneration - A Converged Biofabrication Approach
This project develops personalized, 3D-printed polymer and ceramic scaffolds to help regrow the bone and ligament that hold teeth for people with severe gum disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11307605 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are designing custom 3D-printed polymer and ceramic scaffolds that sit on tooth roots to guide coordinated regrowth of bone and the periodontal ligament. They will use melt electro-writing (MEW) combined with ceramic printing to create scaffolds with tailored structures and material gradients for defects with moderate or minimal surrounding bone. The team will optimize scaffold designs for different defect types and test their ability to drive coordinated tissue regeneration in clinically relevant animal models that mimic human periodontitis. If those preclinical tests are promising, the approach could progress toward clinical trials to evaluate whether personalized implants can save teeth instead of requiring extraction.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults, often older adults, with moderate to severe periodontitis and localized bone loss around tooth roots who want options to preserve their teeth.
Not a fit: Patients with only mild gum disease, those who already have widespread tooth loss or full dentures, or people with uncontrolled systemic health issues may not benefit from this scaffold approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could provide personalized implants that regrow lost bone and ligament to preserve natural teeth and reduce the need for extractions or dentures.
How similar studies have performed: Previous scaffold-based regeneration efforts have shown partial success in animals and small human trials, but reliably rebuilding complex periodontal support in cases of severe bone loss remains largely unproven, so this convergent MEW-plus-ceramic approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bottino, Marco C — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Bottino, Marco C
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.