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Fundamental to all of these is the choice of materials.įrom basic carved wood in the middle of the last century ( Ring, 1991) to current composite 3D printable polymers, materials and fabrication methods in prosthetics have become more sophisticated over time.
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For optimal prosthetic performance, many factors must be considered such as fabrication methods, aesthetics, function, attachment, robustness, and cost.
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For the purposes of this paper, prosthetic will be used solely as an adjective and prosthetics to refer to the prosthetic field. A prosthetic device is referred to technically as a prosthesis, though it is commonly referred to as a prosthetic. Since as early as 3000 B.C., prosthetic devices have been used to address these issues and restore both aesthetics and utility to those with disfigurement ( Ring, 1991). In addition to body image, deformities can lead to bullying, discrimination, and reduced social and economic opportunities. This fundamental and critical factor of identity affects emotions and influences their decision making. Significantly, physical disfigurement leads to a disruption of body image an individual’s mental perception of their physical self ( Galpin, 1996 Tagkalakis and Demiri, 2009). It impacts their economic, psychological and social wellbeing, often with devastating effects ( Tagkalakis and Demiri, 2009).
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Physical disfigurement due to congenital defects, trauma, or cancer causes considerable distress and physical impairment for millions of people worldwide. As advanced manufacturing transitions from research into practice, the five millennia history of prosthetics enters a new age of economic, personalized, advanced soft tissue prosthetics and with this comes significantly improved quality of life for the people affected by tissue loss. We discuss the chemistry and related details of most significant synthetic polymers used in soft-tissue prosthetics in Part B. ear, nose and eyes) and discuss both traditional and advanced fabrication methods, from hand-crafted impression based approaches to advanced manufactured prosthetics. We also detail new research approaches to target specific tissues which commonly require aesthetic restoration (e.g. In this review, part A, we examine, historically, the ideal properts of a polymeric material when applied in soft-tissue prosthetics. In this two part review, we provide a comprehensive report of past, present and emerging soft-tissue prosthetic materials and manufacturing techniques.
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These new approaches are disrupting the traditional and manual art form of prosthetic production which are laborious and costly and are being replaced by more precise and quantitative processes which enable the rapid, low cost production of patient-specific prostheses. New advanced technologies including 3D imaging, modeling, and printing are revolutionizing the way prostheses are now made. Internationally, academic and industry researchers are constantly developing new materials and manufacturing techniques to provide higher quality and lower cost prostheses to those people who need them. Since 3000 B.C., prosthetic devices have been used to address these issues by restoring both aesthetics and utility to those with disfigurement. Physical disfigurement due to congenital defects, trauma, or cancer causes considerable distress and physical impairment for millions of people worldwide impacting their economic, psychological and social wellbeing.
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