Personalized triply periodic minimal surface scaffolds for maxillary bone regeneration: Inverse design, simulation, and stereolithographic fabrication
Reconstruction of maxillary bone defects remains challenging because patient-specific scaffolds must combine anatomical conformity, interconnected porosity, and adequate mechanical performance. This study describes a method of designing and producing patient-specific scaffold prototypes for bone tissue regeneration by means of reverse engineering techniques and triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures to create a tissue scaffold-type implant. A 3D bone defect model was reconstructed from Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) tomographic images of an actual clinical case. Five scaffold variants were designed on Meshmixer and nTop™ computer-aided design software, each variant with a different TPMS topology (Gyroid, Schwarz P, Diamond, Lidinoid, and Split P), while maintaining a constant cell size of 1 mm and a wall thickness of 0.16 mm. The scaffolds’ behavior under a compressive load of 698 N was computationally evaluated using finite element analysis, in which the Lidinoid and Schwarz P structures exhibited the least deformation. The scaffolds were fabricated by stereolithography, and a morphological analysis identified interconnected porosity and pore dimensions of 100–500 µm, conditions considered optimal for cell infiltration and vascularization. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of a proof-of-concept workflow for designing and fabricating patient-specific TPMS scaffold prototypes and identify topology-dependent differences in their predicted mechanical response and visible pore morphology. Further studies using clinically suitable osteoconductive and bioresorbable materials are required before considering implantation.
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