Magnesium alloys are biodegradable metals receiving increasing attention, but the clinical applications of these materials are delayed by concerns over the rapid corrosion rate and gas formation. Unlike corrosion, which weakens mechanical properties, the gas formation issue has received little attention. Therefore, we evaluated the gas formation and biological effects for Mg implants through preclinical (immersed in Earle’s balanced salt solution and in vivo) and clinical studies. The immersion test examined the gas volume and composition. The in vivo study also examined gas volume and histological analysis. The clinical study examined the gas volume and safety after Mg screw metatarsal fixation. Gas was mainly composed of H₂, CO and CO₂. Maximum volumes of gas formed after 5 days for in vivo and 7 days in clinical study. Within the clinical examination, two superficial wound complications healed with local wound care. Osteolytic lesions in the surrounding metaphysis of the Mg screw insertion developed in all cases and union occurred at 3 months. Mg implants released gas with variable volumes and composition (H₂, CO, and CO₂), with no long-term toxic effects on the surrounding tissue. The implants enabled bone healing, although complications of wound breakdown and osteolytic lesions developed.

Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) has been widely studied as a biomaterial for tissue engineering. Most studies focus on mammalian gelatin, but certain factors, such as mammalian diseases and diet restrictions, limit the use of mammalian gelatin. Thus, fish gelatin has received much attention as a substitute material in recent years. To develop a broadly applicable hydrogel with excellent properties, an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogel was synthesized, since IPN hydrogels consist of at least two different hydrogel components to combine their advantages. In this study, we prepared GelMA using type A and fish gelatin and then synthesized IPN hydrogels using GelMA with alginate. GelMA single-network hydrogels were used as a control group. The favorable mechanical properties of type A and fish hydrogels improved after the synthesis of the IPN hydrogels. Type A and fish IPN hydrogels showed different mechanical properties (mechanical strength, swelling ratio, and degradation rate) and different cross-sectional morphologies, since the degree of mechanical enhancement in fish IPN hydrogels was less than that in type A; however, the cell biocompatibilities were not significantly different. Therefore, these findings could serve as a reference for future studies when selecting GelMA as a biological material for tissue engineering.

Biofilm formation and microbial colonization on the surface of implant devices may cause dental caries and peri-implantitis. Therefore, various surface treatments have been developed to improve the antibacterial activity of titanium implant. Silver-loaded polydopamine coating was formed by immersing pure titanium in dopamine hydrochloride/HCl buffer solution for 24 h in 50 mL silver nitrate solutions with different concentrations for 30 min. Microbial growth inhibition and microbial growth curve analyses for bacterial solutions of Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis incubated with the specimens were respectively conducted by counting the numbers of colonies on agar solid medium and by measuring absorbance using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reader. Silver nanoparticles were uniformly distributed over the whole surface of the polydopamine and silver-coated titanium specimens. The numbers of microbial colonies for both bacteria cultured with surface-modified titanium were significantly lower than those cultured with uncoated titanium. When Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis were cultured with surface-modified titanium, the lag phase of the growth curves for both bacteria was continually maintained, whereas the lag phase for Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis changed to exponential phase after 9 and 15 h, respectively, when both bacteria were cultured with uncoated titanium. It was confirmed that the coating of polydopamine and silver on the surface of titanium effectively retards the microbial growth, which can cause the formation of biofilm and pathogenesis of gum disease in the mouth.

This study compares the mechanical properties and wear ability of five CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) millable dental blocks. All the discs, including Amber Mill Hybrid, Vita Enamic, Katana Avencia, Lava Ultimate, and Amber Mill, were cut in dimensions of 1.2 mm in thickness and 12 mm in diameter, polished to a machined surface, and immersed in distilled water for seven days. Vickers hardness was measured and the indentations were observed using microscope. The discs were brushed under a 150 g load. Mean surface roughness (Ra) and topography were determined after 100,000 cycles. Finally the biaxial flexure strength of the discs was measured and the broken surfaces were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The data was subjected to Weibull analysis. All data were analyzed by one-way analysis (ANOVA). The results of Vickers hardness are shown as: Amber Mill > Vita Enamic > Amber Mill Hybrid > Lava Ultimate > Katana Avencia. Katana Avencia showed the highest volume percentage reduction and the roughest surface after toothbrushing. The biaxial flexural strength is shown as: Amber Mill > Katana Avencia > Lava Ultimate > Amber Mill Hybrid > Vita Enamic. All the tested materials exhibited varying degrees of mass loss and surface roughness. The properties of the composite materials are related to the filler content, filler volume, and polymerization methods.