Page 266 - IJB-9-5

International Journal of Bioprinting

REVIEW ARTICLE
Advances in 3D printing techniques for cartilage

regeneration of temporomandibular joint disc
and mandibular condyle

Shoushan Hu , Yating Yi , Chengxinyue Ye , Jin Liu *, Jun Wang *
1
2
1,2
1,2
1,2
1 Lab for Aging Research, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and National Clinical Research Center
for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
2 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases &
Department of Orthodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu
610041, China
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: 3D Printing of Cartilage-Mimicking Constructs: Targeting the
Functional Regeneration of Tissue Anatomy and Physiology)

Abstract
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis causes fibrocartilage damage to the TMJ
disc and mandibular condyle, resulting in local pain and functional impairment that
further reduces patients’ quality of life. Tissue engineering offers a potential treatment
for fibrocartilage regeneration of the TMJ disc and mandibular condyle. However, the
heterogeneous structure of TMJ fibrocartilage tissue poses significant challenges for
the fabrication of biomimetic scaffolds. Over the past two decades, some researchers
have attempted to adopt three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques to fabricate
biomimetic scaffolds for TMJ fibrocartilage regeneration, but publications on such
*Corresponding authors: attempts are limited and rarely report satisfactory results, indicating an urgent need
Jin Liu (liujin@scu.edu.cn) for further development. This review outlines several popular 3D printing techniques
Jun Wang
(wangjunv@scu.edu.cn) and the significant elements of tissue-engineered scaffolds: seed cells, scaffold
materials, and bioactive factors. Current research progress on 3D-printed scaffolds for
Citation: Hu S, Yi Y, Ye C, et al., fibrocartilage regeneration of the TMJ disc and mandibular condyle is reviewed. The
2023, Advances in 3D printing
techniques for cartilage regeneration current challenges in TMJ tissue engineering are mentioned along with some emerging
of temporomandibular joint disc and tissue-engineering strategies, such as machine learning, stimuli-responsive delivery
mandibular condyle. Int J Bioprint, systems, and extracellular vesicles, which are considered as potential approaches to
9(5): 761.
https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.761 improve the performance of 3D-printed scaffolds for TMJ fibrocartilage regeneration.
This review is expected to inspire the further development of 3D printing techniques
Received: February 12, 2023
Accepted: March 31, 2023 for TMJ fibrocartilage regeneration.
Published Online: May 25, 2023
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). Keywords: 3D printing; Cartilage regeneration; Temporomandibular joint disc;
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the Mandibular condyle
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is
properly cited. 1. Introduction
Publisher’s Note: Whioce Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a synovial joint composed of the mandibular
Publishing remains neutral with condyle, temporal fossa, and articular disc, whereas the TMJ cartilage is composed of
regard to jurisdictional claims in [1]
published maps and institutional fibrocartilage, which is distinct from hyaline cartilage . TMJ osteoarthritis is defined
affiliations. as a degenerative and low-inflammatory disease in the unilateral or bilateral TMJ,

Volume 9 Issue 5 (2023) 258 https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.761