Additively Manufactured Tantalum Implants for Repairing Bone Defects: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Tantalum has unique advantages as a biomaterial for repairing bone defects due to its outstanding bioactivity, excellent corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties. Ideal implants for bone repair should be of good biocompatibility and bioactivity, as well as ability to simulate the microstructure and mechanical environment of human bone tissues. Additive manufacturing can facilitate freedom of design for the macrostructure/microstructure of bone implants with controlled mechanical properties; thus, this method has great potential. Additively manufactured tantalum implants provide a novel alternative for bone repair and are gaining increasing attention. This systematic review aims to comprehensively summarize the subsistent evidence from physicochemical, cellular, animal, and clinical studies on additively manufactured tantalum implants in repairing bone defects, for the first time. This work may provide researchers an essential grasp on the advances of additively manufactured tantalum implants. Impact statement Tantalum has unique advantages as a biomaterial. Additive manufacturing facilitates design freedom and additively manufactured tantalum is a novel alternative for bone repair. Studies on additively manufactured tantalum progress greatly, while no review summarizing the progresses was published.

Keywords: additive manufacturing; bone regeneration; bone repair; tantalum.