AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/ijb.8146
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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Flexural and biological properties of gradient sheet-network TPMS zirconia specimens printed by vat photopolymerization

Zidi Zhai1,2,3,4,5 ,  Qi Zhong1,2,3,4,5 ,  Fang Qu1,2,3,4,5 ,  Yaqin Wu1,2,3,4,5 ,  Xinyu Zhang1,2,3,4,5 ,  Jian Sun1,2,3,4,5* ,  Chun Xu1,2,3,4,5*
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1 Department of Prosthodontics, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
2 College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
3 National Center for Stomatology and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai, China
4 Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology & Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai, China
5 Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Advanced Dental Technology and Materials, Shanghai, China
IJB 2025, 11(2), 302–315; https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.8146
Submitted: 23 December 2024 | Accepted: 31 January 2025 | Published: 31 January 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioprinting of Dental Tissues and Materials)
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Zirconia (ZrO2) implants have shown promising outcomes in the restoration of tooth loss. However, the discrepancy between the elastic modulus of ZrO2 implants and alveolar bone can cause a stress-shielding effect at the bone–implant interface, leading to progressive damage and possibly resulting in the clinical failure of the implant treatment. Functionally graded porous implants present a promising solution to this issue. Triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) have attracted growing interest due to their ability to create 3D interconnected and continuous pore structures. Dental implants, especially around the neck region, experience both compressive and tensile stresses within the surrounding bone. ZrO2, being a brittle material, is more susceptible to tensile stress than compressive stress, making flexural strength a critical property for evaluating its performance. The objective of this research is to assess the flexural properties, biological performance, and permeability of gradient sheet-network TPMS ZrO2 specimens printed by vat photopolymerization (VPP). In vitro evaluations of the biological properties revealed that the Schwarz-P structure had the most significant effects in promoting the proliferation of rat bone marrow stem cells and enhancing the expression of osteogenic-related genes. However, it also exhibited the lowest flexural strength and permeability. In contrast, the Diamond structure displayed good flexural strength, structural stability, and effectively promoted osteogenic-related gene expression, presenting a well-balanced combination of mechanical and biological properties. This suggests its potential for further development into 3D-printed functional gradient ZrO2 implants.  

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Biological property
Functionally graded structure
Triply periodic minimal surfaces
Vat photopolymerization
Zirconia implant
Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation [grant number: 82071157]; Clinical Research Program of 9th People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine [grant number: JYLJ202409]; and Original Exploration Project of Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine [grant number: JYYC002].
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing
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