AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/IJB026210208
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RESEARCH ARTICLE

In vivo evaluation of a 3D-printed personalized temporomandibular joint condylar prosthesis with an elastic layer for hemiarthroplasty

Junqi Jiang1 ,  Qingxiang Li1 ,  Zhiwei Jiao2 ,  Kenan Chen1 ,  Junlin Wang3 ,  Bingxue Cheng4 ,  Chuanbin Guo1* ,  Xiangliang Xu1*
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1 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, National Center of Stomatology and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices and Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology and Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Computerized Dentistry Ministry of Health and NMPA Key Laboratory for Dental Materials, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China
2 College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
3 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
4 State Key Laboratory of Tribology in Advanced Equipment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
IJB, 026210208 https://doi.org/10.36922/IJB026210208
Received: 23 May 2026 | Revised: 21 June 2026 | Accepted: 26 June 2026 | Published online: 2 July 2026
© 2026 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

This study evaluated the in vivo performance of a novel, 3D-printed personalized temporomandibular joint (TMJ) condylar prosthesis featuring an integrated elastic functional layer (EFL) in a goat model. Conventional rigid metal and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene prostheses often trigger stress shielding and contralateral joint degeneration due to a mechanical mismatch with the native articular disc. To address these limitations, unilateral hemi-TMJ reconstructions were performed on four adult male goats using a custom prosthesis combining a porous Ti6Al4V stem and a 3D-printed UHMWPE/HDPE composite elastic layer. Over a 6-month follow-up, clinical, radiographic, and histological parameters were evaluated. All animals survived without serious complications. Maximum passive mouth opening and lateral excursion ranges successfully returned to levels comparable to preoperative baselines, while masticatory efficiency stabilized after an initial postoperative decline. Hepatic and renal function metrics confirmed the material's systemic biosafety. CT and micro-CT imaging verified stable prosthetic positioning, robust osseointegration, and bone matrix ingrowth into the porous metallic scaffold. Histological analysis revealed the formation of a beneficial "synovial-like" membrane on the elastic substrate surface, which was supported by significantly elevated local expression of the regenerative cytokine TGF-β via ELISA. These findings suggest that the elastic design promotes favorable initial stability, good biocompatibility, and vital functional recovery. The observed synovial metaplasia provides a promising protective mechanism to minimize wear and prevent heterotopic ossification, offering strong preclinical evidence for elastic configurations in advanced TMJ arthroplasty.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Temporomandibular joint prosthesis
3D printing
Elastic functional layer
Synovial metaplasia
In vivo evaluation
Funding
This work was supported by grants from Beijing Natural Science Foundation (L242059).
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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