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Medical Center - University of Freiburg plans to use 3D printing to produce protective equipment / Cross-regional collaboration possible thanks to freely available instructions

To ensure the continuous protection of its employees and patients during the current coronavirus pandemic, the Medical Center - University of Freiburg is starting to manufacture its own protective equipment. The Department of Prosthetic Dentistry at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg is using its expertise in 3D printing in close cooperation with the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Geriatric Dentistry and Functional Dentistry at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The digital printing process is normally used for the production of dentures and corresponding dental prosthetic aids. Now, visor holders and other aids are to be produced from the sterilizable and biodegradable biopolymer PLA. "In the current situation, we need to find creative solutions and work together on an interdisciplinary basis," says Professor Dr. Benedikt Spies, Medical Director of the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg.

Solutions for medical practices and other clinics

Initial production of visor mounts for clinical use has already begun and is currently being extensively tested by teams in Freiburg and Berlin. With a perforated and attached disposable overhead foil, a protective visor is created that provides better protection in certain situations than conventional safety goggles. Employees in the departments check freely available print plans online and evaluate printing time, material consumption and usability in the medical field. "We want to offer alternatives made from materials that are currently still readily available on the market. The printing instructions are freely available and are tested by us for practicability and cost-effectiveness in order to save other potential users a time-consuming test phase," explains Dr. Christian Wesemann, research associate at the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Geriatric Dentistry and Functional Dentistry at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the benefits for physicians in private practice and clinics.

Faster production through collaboration

Due to the expected high demand for protective equipment, a nationwide cooperation is possible: "In order to increase our production as quickly as possible, we are dependent on the help of dental practices and other facilities where the corresponding printers are not currently in use," says Spies. This would allow us to react flexibly to a possible acute shortage of certain protective articles and expand production to include other items required, such as plastic parts for ventilators or masks.

Maximum support from the hospital

The pilot project is supported by the Department of Oral, Maxillofacial, and Regional Plastic Surgery and the Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg.

Caption Image 1: Printing of a protective visor prototype in the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg
Image source: Medical Center - University of Freiburg

Caption image 2: Various prototypes of the protective visor are being tested at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg and at the Charité in Berlin for use in the medical field.
Image source: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Further information and contact:
https://www.uniklinik-freiburg.de/prothetik/schutzvisiere-aus-dem-drucker.html