• For the first time in surgical history, a 3D-printed ceramic subperiosteal jaw implant was placed in a patient as part of the INKplant project
• Together, the high precision of Lithoz LCM technology and the design freedom of 3D printing made this ceramic jaw implant “under the periosteum” possible in a world first
• This innovation, which requires only one procedure, is estimated to reduce healing time after such oral surgery by 75%
• Lithoz once again demonstrates the enormous innovation potential of ceramic 3D printing with this research contribution

2nd July 2024: Vienna / Linz, Austria. In a major breakthrough for medical applications, a 3D-printed
ceramic subperiosteal jaw implant was successfully placed in a patient for the first time ever.
Fabricated in Austria, this innovation marks a significant advancement for medicine and is part of the
EU-funded INKplant project made up of 19 interdisciplinary partners, led by Profactor GmbH. The
project aims to create 3D-printed patient-specific implants to treat various pathologies affecting the
elderly.

Lithoz, one of the partners in the project, has been researching the optimal fusion of various
biomaterials with the advantages of 3D printing since 2021. The implant was developed with and
built by Austrian ceramic 3D printing specialist Lithoz to address the issue of atrophic jaws, a
common problem in older patients. After the loss of teeth, the jawbone disappears as well, resulting
in atrophic jaws and rendering the use of dentures impossible. With severe atrophy, conventional
dental implants require additional lengthy operations to graft new bone to anchor the implants.
Such operations are difficult for elderly patients who cannot undergo bone grafting due to health
issues.

A patient at Kepler University Hospital, who had lost multiple dental implants and bone grafts in the
past due to his compromised health, was unable to receive further conventional surgical strategies
as a result of significant scarring and thus received the new implant as a compassionate use case.
Made of biocompatible high-strength zirconia using Lithoz LCM technology, the implant did not
require any bone augmentation and required only one procedure, reducing healing time by an
estimated 75% and avoiding excess trauma for the patient. Thanks to this synergetic innovation in
design and material, all the necessary surgical procedures were completed in a single operation.
The surgery, led by DDr. Christoph Staudigl, was a successful world first use of a ceramic
subperiosteal jaw implant in a compassionate use case on a patient. Despite some expected wound
healing issues after surgery, the superior soft tissue compatibility of zirconia compared to titanium
played its role spectacularly. The implant showed clinical stability after 60 days, representing a
decisive breakthrough for the treatment of severely atrophic jaws.

The design of the customized implant was pioneered by the Centre for Medical Physics and
Biomedical Engineering at the Medical University of Vienna in collaboration with DDr. Staudigl.
During the design process, BTI Biotechnology Institute (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain) and BioMed Centre
Innovation GmbH (Bayreuth, Germany) also contributed significantly with their expertise. The
implant will be patented and adopted as a medical device by BioMed Centre spin-off Agensmed
GmbH and will be manufactured using Lithoz 3D printers. A clinical trial is being prepared to
systematically validate its efficacy.

For more details visit – https://lithoz.com/en/