Implant mimicking cartilage for craniofacial reconstruction: A new material introduced for research

Abstract

Loss of facial structure as a consequence of injury or salvaging surgery, demands reconstruction and rehabilitation of lost structures. Here comes the role of a reconstructive and craniofacial surgeon. Lots of surgical options are available to fulfil the requirement but all require a second operative site to restore the primary defect. New age of scientific development are in search of regenerate the lost structures by the means of stem cell or biocompatible material. In such search we have tried to contribute by development of implant mimicking cartilage to reconstruct the lost facial structure. In this article we are going to share our research experience, to fulfil our goal and objective we have developed three different types of biocompatible silicon material (Si-40, Si60 & Si80). After formulation, preparation and mechanical characterization, it was observed that Si40 was best suitable silicone for bio-composite preparation.