Emerging technologies for personalised oro-maxillofacial bone regeneration: Design strategies and fabrication techniques.

Abstract

Oro-maxillofacial bone defects present a major clinical challenge due to the anatomical complexity of the craniofacial skeleton and the limitations of traditional bone grafting, including donor site morbidity and variable outcomes. Personalised tissue-engineered scaffolds have emerged as a promising alternative, offering anatomically tailored fit and bioactive support to enhance bone regeneration. This review provides a comprehensive overview of current strategies in personalised scaffold design and application for oro-maxillofacial bone repair. Key design principles are discussed in relation to the structural and mechano-biological performance required for successful scaffold integration and functional bone regeneration. Computational modelling approaches, including finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics, bone regeneration simulations, and AI-driven optimisation techniques, are discussed for their role in tailoring scaffold geometry to site-specific anatomical and mechanical demands. Recent advances in additive manufacturing are also reviewed, particularly their capacity to fabricate complex, patient-specific architectures with high spatial precision. The review concludes by highlighting translational progress, including recent preclinical and early clinical studies that demonstrate the feasibility and therapeutic potential of personalised scaffold-based approaches in oro-maxillofacial reconstruction.