Mechanical Strength and Stiffness of Biodegradable and Titanium Osteofixation Systems

Buijs, Gerrit J.; van der Houwen, Eduard B.; Stegenga, Boudewijn; Bos, Rudulf R.M.; Verkerke, Gijsbertus J.

doi:10.1016/j.joms.2007.04.010

« Previous Next »Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Volume 65, Issue 11 , Pages 2148-2158, November 2007

Mechanical Strength and Stiffness of Biodegradable and Titanium Osteofixation Systems

Gerrit J. Buijs, DMD
- PhD Student, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
- Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Buijs: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
Eduard B. van der Houwen, MSc
- PhD Student, Department of BioMedical Engineering, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Boudewijn Stegenga, DMD, MSc, PhD
- Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Rudulf R.M. Bos, DMD, PhD
- Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Gijsbertus J. Verkerke, MSc, PhD
- Professor, Department of BioMedical Engineering, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; and the Department of Biomechanical Engineering, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.

Purpose

To present relevant mechanical data to simplify the selection of an osteofixation system for situations requiring immobilization in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Materials and Methods

Seven biodegradable and 2 titanium osteofixation systems were investigated. The plates and screws were fixed to 2 polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) blocks to simulate bone segments. The plates and screws were subjected to tensile, side bending, and torsion tests. During tensile tests, the strength of the osteofixation system was monitored. The stiffness was calculated for the tensile, side bending, and torsion tests.

Results

The 2 titanium systems (1.5 mm and 2.0 mm) presented significantly higher tensile strength and stiffness compared with the 7 biodegradable systems (2.0 mm, 2.1 mm, and 2.5 mm). The 2.0 mm titanium system showed significantly higher side bending and torsion stiffness than the other 8 systems.

Conclusion

Based on the results of the current study, it can be concluded that the titanium osteofixation systems were (significantly) stronger and stiffer than the biodegradable systems. The BioSorb FX (Linvatec Biomaterials Ltd, Tampere, Finland), LactoSorb (Walter Lorenz Surgical Inc, Jacksonville, FL), and Inion (Inion Ltd, Tampere, Finland) 2.5 mm systems have high mechanical device strength and stiffness compared with the investigated biodegradable osteofixation systems. With the cross-sectional surface taken into account, the Biosorb FX system (with its subtle design) proves to be the far more superior system. The Resorb X (Gebrüder Martin GmbH & Co, Tuttlingen, Germany) and MacroPore (MacroPore Biosurgery Inc, Memphis, TN) systems present to be, at least from a mechanical point of view, the least strong and stiff systems in the test.