Researchers from the National University of Singapore have created a new method for producing personalized gum grafts using 3D bioprinting combined with artificial intelligence. The technique, developed by a team led by Assistant Professor Gopu Sriram from the NUS Faculty of Dentistry, offers an alternative to traditional grafting methods that require harvesting tissue from the patient’s mouth. This approach aims to reduce patient discomfort while providing custom solutions for dental procedures like repairing gum defects caused by periodontal disease or complications from dental implants.
The research team developed a specialized bio-ink that supports cell growth while maintaining structural integrity during the printing process. Their work, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials on December 17, 2024, was supported by grants from the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster and National University Health System. The bioprinted grafts demonstrated over 90% cell viability immediately after printing and throughout an 18-day culture period.
“To speed up the 3D bioprinting process, we integrated AI into our workflow to address this critical bottleneck,” said Professor Dean Ho, Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at NUS and co-corresponding author of the research paper. “This approach greatly streamlines the process by reducing the number of experiments needed to optimise the bioprinting parameters — from potentially thousands to just 25 combinations.”
The AI-driven workflow significantly improves efficiency by reducing the traditional trial-and-error experiments needed to determine optimal printing parameters. According to Assistant Professor Sriram, “Our study is among the first to specifically integrate 3D bioprinting and AI technologies for the biofabrication of customised oral soft tissue constructs.” He added that “3D bioprinting is by far more challenging than conventional 3D printing because it involves living cells, which introduce a host of complexities to the printing process.”
The technology has potential applications beyond dentistry. “3D bioprinting allows us to create tissue grafts that precisely match the dimensions of a patient’s wounds, potentially reducing or eliminating the need to harvest tissue from the patient’s body,” Assistant Professor Sriram explained. Dr. Jacob Chew, a periodontist and co-investigator of the study, noted that “This level of customisation minimises graft distortion and tension during wound closure, reducing the risk of complications, surgery time and discomfort to the patients.”
Future research will focus on translating these findings into clinical applications. The team plans to conduct in vivo studies to assess graft integration and stability in oral environments, while also exploring the integration of blood vessels through multi-material bioprinting for more complex constructs. These developments could advance regenerative dentistry and potentially influence broader applications in tissue engineering.
Source: news.nus.edu.sg