Research at MDU on use of PEEK material for making dental implants
Sunit Dhawan
Tribune News Service
Rohtak, August 19
The Haryana State Council for Science, Innovation and Technology has sanctioned a grant of Rs 35 lakh for a research and development project titled ‘Process parameters optimisation of medical grade PEEK material utilized for fabrication of craniomaxillofacial prosthesis using hybrid algorithms to investigate the mechanical properties’ for the year 2023-24.
How is PEEK material beneficial
- PEEK material is a 3D-printable using fused deposition modelling, so complex shapes/profiles of human anatomy can easily be fabricated
- The prototype can also be fabricated using 3D printing and missing/defected maxillofacial prosthesis can be tested on prototype for pre-surgery planning
- Digitally designed and patient-specific implants made with PEEK material exhibit higher clinical efficacy in restoring the shape of the cranial defects
- Use of PEEK material reduces surgery time and risk and helps in quick rehabilitation of patients
- The Haryana State Council for Science, Innovation and Technology has sanctioned a grant of Rs 35 lakh for research and development project dealing in this field
“The project involves making dental implants with Poly-Ether Ether Ketone (PEEK) material instead of titanium, which is the most commonly used material for cranio-maxillofacial prosthesis and dental implants,” said Dr Deepak Chhabra, the Principal Investigator of the project and Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak.
As per the researchers, PEEK has similar osteo-conductive properties to titanium and an elastic modulus close to that of human bone and good formability, because of which it has been suggested to replace titanium for the said purpose.
Replacement for titanium
The project involves making dental implants with Poly-Ether Ether Ketone (PEEK) material instead of titanium, which is the most commonly used material for cranio-maxillofacial prosthesis and dental implants.. — Dr Deepak Chhabra, Associate Professor, University Institute of Engineering and Technology, MDU
“PEEK material is a 3D-printable using fused deposition modelling, so complex shapes/profiles of human anatomy can easily be fabricated. The prototype can also be fabricated using 3D printing and missing/defected Maxillofacial Prosthesis can be tested on prototype for pre-surgery planning,” they point out.
Dr Virendra Singh, Co-Principal Investigator of the project and Senior Professor and Head, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, PGIDS, Rohtak, said that the digitally designed and patient-specific implants made with PEEK material exhibit higher clinical efficacy in restoring the shape of the cranial defects.
“Use of PEEK material reduces surgery time and risk and helps in quick rehabilitation of patients,” he adds.
The researchers assert that the lumbar cage, rods and screw for vertebrae can also be precisely fabricated using PEEK as implant material to maintain strength and rigid stability in the spine and make the bones fuse together steadily.
The proposed work will minimise equipment and material requirements, they maintained.
