TEHRAN- 3-D printed prostheses produced for jaw, face and skull by an Iranian knowledge-based company were used successfully in 100 surgeries, said the company’s production manager. 

The prosthesis was produced by DanaWell Biomechanical group which is part of the Exceptional Talents Development Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences and has started working on designing prostheses since 2016. 

These 3-D printed prostheses can help people whose jaw, face or skull are damaged or disfigured due to birth defects, accidents or some brain tumor surgeries that affect the facial bone structure, Ramin Hosseini told IRNA on Tuesday. 

“The prostheses are customized because they are produced based on each person’s individual physical features. Before this, patients had to send their information to some European countries so that they can receive their custom-made prostheses,” said Hosseini.

According to Hosseini, the foreign version of this product is made with titanium, but DanaWell Group used bone cement in their design; that was a novel idea and was registered as a patent.

According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 3D printers are used to manufacture a variety of medical devices, including those with complex geometry or features that match a patient’s unique anatomy.

Commercially available 3D printed medical devices include: instrumentation (e.g., guides to assist with proper surgical placement of a device), implants (e.g., cranial plates or hip joints), and external prostheses (e.g., hands).

Scientists are researching how to use the 3D printing process to manufacture living organs such as a heart or liver, but this research is in early stages of development.

SJ/MQ/MG