Clinical application of a custom-made bioresorbable raw particulate hydroxyapatite/poly-L-lactide mesh tray for mandibular reconstruction.

Mandibular reconstruction using particulate cancellous bone and marrow (PCBM) allows functional oral reconstruction. Although ready-made titanium trays are the most common material used in this method, they have some disadvantages such as difficulty in making them form a suitable contour for the defect, and the need for removal. A forged composite of raw particulate hydroxyapatite (HA)/poly-L-lactide (PLLA) is a bioresorbable material that is stronger than pure PLLA and induces bone formation more rapidly. We present two cases successfully treated with custom-made bioresorbable HA/PLLA mesh trays for mandibular reconstruction. A 29-year-old woman with recurrent ameloblastoma and a 66-year-old man with a recurrent keratinized odontogenic tumor of the mandible gave informed consent for this reconstruction technique. Mesh sheets of HA/PLLA were customized by a rapid prototyping method based on computed tomography (CT) data. Marginal resection of the tumor was carried out, and PCBM was harvested from the bilateral posterior iliac crests. PCBM and platelet-rich plasma were transferred to the tray, and the tray was fixed rigidly with HA/PLLA screws. In the second case, dental implants were inserted. There has been no bone resorption for over 2 years since reconstruction in these two cases, and the inserted dental implants have been free from any complications 1 year after loading. The average CT value in Hounsfield units (HU) of the implant sites of two cases was 790. In conclusion, the customized HA/PLLA tray was easily adapted to the mandible, and fine bone quality was obtained. These cases show that this tray system contributed to functional oral rehabilitation with dental implants.