Three-dimensional bioprinting in oral and maxillofacial tumor treatment and reconstruction
Treatment for oral maxillofacial cancer constitutes a highly specialized discipline encompassing tumor diagnosis, therapeutic management as well as the regeneration of oral cavity and related maxillofacial structure. In recent years, rapid advances in three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technologies have profoundly transformed this field, enabling the development of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic equipment. This review primarily discusses the comprehensive and novel 3D bioprinting applications for the treatment of oral and maxillofacial neoplasms. It initially introduces the relevant steps, techniques, and materials to demonstrate the unique role of 3D bioprinting. Furthermore, this review marks its applications in treatment plans, mainly pointing out the use of 3D-printed clinical tools like preoperative biomodels, intraoperative surgical instruments, and postoperative reconstruction scaffolds, as well as other therapeutic tools like intraoral stents for radiotherapy and drug delivery systems for medication. Based on these contents, this review then not only reveals challenges of 3D bioprinting clinical therapies, but also proposes their latest progressions and potential directions, which can significantly improve the research of efficacy, precision, and prognosis in the field of malignant oral-maxillofacial tumors.
