Wei-Jen Chang

• Taipei Medical University

Purpose Nano-engineering techniques have significantly enhanced the various aspects of dentistry, with notable advancements, especially in dental implant surface modification. Dental implants are among the most significant and highly successful developments in contemporary dentistry. The use of nanotechnology for surface modification of zirconia ce...

Background/purpose Multiple augmentation protocols are documented in the literature to rebuild the deficient alveolar ridge after tooth extraction; however, achieving adequate vertical augmentation remains the most challenging goal. This study demonstrated a novel surgical technique of early vertical ridge augmentation for post-dental extraction. T...

Background: Guided bone regeneration (GBR) uses bone grafts and barrier membranes to block soft tissue invasion and eventually create a new bone. Some studies indicate that a porcine bone graft demonstrates excellent biocompatibility and holds promise as a xenograft for GBR. However, only a few studies have investigated the effectiveness of this bi...

Background/purpose Osseointegration potential is greatly depended on the interaction between bone cells and dental implant surface. Since zirconia ceramic has a bioinert surface, functionalization of the surface with an organic compound allylamine was conducted to overcome its drawback of minimal interaction with the surrounding bone. Materials an...

Two important factors affecting the progress of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are the S-protein binding function of ACE2 receptors and the membrane fluidity of host cells. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of static magnetic field (SMF) on S-protein/ACE2 binding...

Background/purpose The accuracy of intraoral scanners (IOSs) plays a crucial role in the success of final restorations in digital workflows. Previous studies have shown that numerous factors affect the accuracy of IOSs. Most studies have evaluated the accuracy of IOS under one restoration condition. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate...

Background/purpose Dental plaque is the main cause leading to the dental caries and periodontal diseases. The main purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of oral spray containing the antimicrobial peptide P-113 on the reduction of oral bacteria number and dental plaque formation in a randomized clinical assessment. Materials and methods Th...

Background/purpose Early osseointegration of titanium (Ti) dental implants relies on the surface topography. Surface modification of Ti seeks to enhance bone regeneration around implants. Acid etching is the simple, less technique sensitive and cost-effective technique for surface treatment. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the simplified...

Objectives The glow discharge plasma (GDP) procedure has proven efficacy in grafting allylamine onto zirconia dental implant surfaces to enhance osseointegration. This study explored the enhancement of zirconia dental implant properties using GDP at different energy settings (25, 50, 75, 100, and 200 W) both in vitro and in vivo. Materials and Met...

Background/purpose 3D-printed bone tissue engineering is becoming recognized as a key approach in dentistry for creating customized bone regeneration treatments fitting patients bone defects requirements. 3D bioprinting offers an innovative method to fabricate detailed 3D structures, closely emulating the native bone micro-environment and better bo...

Background/purpose: The diagnosis of peri-implantitis using periapical radiographs is crucial. Recently, artificial intelligence may apply in radiographic image analysis effectively. The aim of this study was to differentiate the degree of marginal bone loss of an implant, and also to classify the severity of peri-implantitis using a deep learning...

Background/purpose Oral health is related to general health and a person’s overall well-being. The aim of the present study was to explore the association between oral health status and bite force among young adults. Materials and methods Maximum bite force (MBF) was measured using Dental Prescale II in conjunction with a pressure-sensitive film a...

The market for orthopedic implant alloys has seen significant growth in recent years, and efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of medical treatment (i.e., green medicine) have prompted extensive research on biodegradable magnesium-based alloys. Magnesium alloys provide the mechanical strength and biocompatibility required of medical implants; how...

Background: Tricalcium phosphate (TCP, Molecular formula: Ca3(PO4)2) is a hydrophilic bone graft biomaterial extensively used for guided bone regeneration (GBR). However, few studies have investigated 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) combined with the osteo-inductive molecule fibronectin (FN) for enhanced osteoblast performance in vitro, and speci...

Background: Modern technological advancements have led to increase in the development of surgical robots in dentistry, resulting in excellent clinical treatment outcomes. Purpose: This study aimed to determine the accuracy of automatic robotic implant site preparation for different implant sizes by correlating planned and posttreatment positions...

Introduction: To overcome the genuine bioinert properties of zirconia ceramic, functionalization of the surface with the bioactive protein fibronectin was conducted. Methods: Glow discharge plasma (GDP)-Argon was first used to clean the zirconia surface. Then allylamine was treated at three different powers of 50 W, 75 W, and 85 W and immersed into...

Background/purpose: Artificial Intelligence (AI) can optimize treatment approaches in dental healthcare due to its high level of accuracy and wide range of applications. This study seeks to propose a new deep learning (DL) ensemble model based on deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) algorithms to predict tooth position, detect shape, detect rem...

Manufacturing three-dimensional (3D) objects with polymers/bioceramic composite materials has been investigated in recent years. In this study, we manufactured and evaluated solvent-free polycaprolactone (PCL) and beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) composite fiber as a scaffold material for 3D printing. To investigate the optimal ratio of feedstock...

Periodontitis is a common oral disease mainly caused by bacterial infection and inflammation of the gingiva. In the prevention or treatment of periodontitis, anti-bacterial agents are used to inhibit pathogen growth, despite increasing levels of bacterial resistance. Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn (SM) seed oil has proven anti-bacterial and anti-inflamm...

Preserving the marginal bone level (MBL) is essential for the long-term success of dental implant therapy, and bone remodeling around dental implants is considered to vary with time. Numerous studies comparing the platform-switching (PS) and platform-matching (PM) dental implants have indicated that PS dental implants showed a lesser reduction for...

This ex vivo study evaluates the incidence of sinus membrane perforation during implant site osteotomy with two different types of drills and drilling techniques. Fifty goat heads with 50 sinus pairs (100 sinus sides) were assigned to two groups (osseodensification bur [OB] group and inverse conical shape bur [ICSB] group) to simulate transcrestal...

Background: The maintenance of marginal bone levels around dental implants is an important criterion for evaluating the success of implants. Although computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) customized abutments (CAs) provide more flexible solutions, compared with the original preformed stock abutments (PAs), there are dimensio...

Titanium is widely used in medical implants despite the release of heavy metal ions over long-term use. Zirconia is very close to the color of teeth; however, its biological inertness hinders bonding with bone tissue. Alkaline treatment and coatings of calcium phosphate can be used to enhance bone regeneration adjacent to dental implants. This stud...

Background Dental caries and periodontal disease remain the most prevalent oral health problems in the world. Chewing xylitol gum may help reduce the risk of caries and periodontitis for dental health benefits. However, little evidence has shown healthy food estimation by sequencing 16S rDNA in oral microbial communities. This study investigated th...

Owing to a rapid increase in aging population in recent years, the deterioration of motor function in older adults has become an important social problem, and several studies have aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying muscle function decline. Furthermore, structural maintenance of the muscle–tendon–bone complexes in the muscle attachment s...

Few studies have compared marginal bone loss (MBL) around implant-retaining overdentures (IODs) vs. implant-supported fixed prostheses (FPs). This study evaluated the mean MBL and radiographic bone-implant interface contact (r-BIIC) around IODs and implant-supported FPs. We also investigated osseointegration and MBL around non-submerged dental impl...

While hyaluronic acid encapsulating superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have been reported to exhibit selective cytotoxicity toward cancer cells, it is unclear whether low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid-conjugated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles also display such cytotoxicity. In this study, high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid...

Objectives Periodontal disease is prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and potentially associated with kidney function decline. However, it is uncertain whether periodontal disease affects the risk of mortality and morbidity in patients with advanced CKD.Materials and methodsTaiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database wa...

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of opposite tooth conditions on change in marginal bone level (MBL) around submerged dental implants. Materials and methods: The study included healthy patients with one or two implants. Structures opposite implants were either natural teeth (NT) or fixed restorations (FRs). MBL...

In this study, ε-polylysine and calcium phosphate precipitation (CPP) methods were employed to induce antibacterial effects and dentin tubule occlusion. Antibacterial effects of ε-polylysine were evaluated with broth dilution assay against P. gingivalis. CPP solution from MCPM, DCPD, and TTCP was prepared. Four concentrations of ε-polylysine(ε-PL)...

Periodontitis is prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is also associated with kidney function decline. It is unclear whether dental scaling treatment prevents the progression of CKD. In a nationwide cohort study, Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database was used to select people with CKD. Propensity score-matching...

Anterior immediate implant placement (IIP) has many biological and esthetic challenges, including inevitable soft and hard tissue loss after extraction. Previous literatures have discussed the facial bone architecture and defective socket classification. However, none of them discussed the depression of the cervical root area which can be seen freq...

Absorbable porcine collagen membrane with a bovine bone graft can be considered for regenerative treatment in periodontal class II furcation defects. We evaluated the clinical efficacy of guided tissue regeneration (GTR) treatment with bovine bone xenograft and a porcine collagen membrane in molars with class II furcations. Probing depth (PD), clin...

Background: In mixed dentition analysis, estimation of the mesiodistal width of unerupted permanent canines and premolars is essential for successful diagnosis and treatment planning. The present study aimed to develop a simple linear equation to predict permanent tooth sizes from mixed dentition analysis for Taiwanese people. Methods: The sampl...

Osteoconduction is an important consideration for fabricating bio-active materials for bone regeneration. For years, hydroxyapatite and β-calcium triphosphate (β-TCP) have been used to develop bone grafts for treating bone defects. However, this material can be difficult to handle due to filling material sagging. High molecular weight hyaluronic ac...

Guided-bone regeneration (GBR) is increasingly using three-dimensional (3D) printing by fused deposition modeling (FDM) to build the filaments used for treatment. Polylactic acid (PLA) and beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) are widely used as base materials in 3D printing, necessitating that they are studied together in the context of GBR treatment....

A major number of studies have demonstrated Beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) biocompatibility, bioactivity, and osteoconductivity characteristics in bone regeneration. The aim of this research was to enhance β-TCP's biocompatibility, and evaluate its physicochemical properties by argon glow discharge plasma (GDP) plasma surface treatment without m...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually affects older individuals. Owing to the higher incidence of root caries and missing teeth in elderly individuals, the bacteria involved in these dental concerns might potentially deteriorate their cognitive function. Altered microbiota in the oral cavity may induce neuroinflammati...

In vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies had demonstrated Beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) biocompatibility, bioactivity, and osteoconductivity in bone regeneration. The present research aimed to enhance β-TCP's biocompatibility and physical and chemical properties by argon plasma surface treatment without surface modification. Treated β-TCP charac...

Melanogenesis is a complex process that can lead to pigmentation defects. Various chemical skin-lightening products have been developed to treat pigmentation disorders. However, these chemical products can cause harmful adverse effects. Therefore, the development of safer, natural bleaching ingredients is a trend for sustainability. It has been rep...

Peri-implantitis is the pathological condition of connective tissue inflammation and the progressive loss of supporting bone around dental implants. One of the primary causes of peri mucositis evolving into peri-implantitis is bacterial infection, including infection from Porphyromonas gingivalis. Enhancing the surface smoothness of implants helps...

Background/purpose The impact of the pandemic of COVID-19 has a certain influence on various walks of life around the world. Because of the pandemic of this novel coronavirus in terms of COVID-19, the social life global wide has been changed a lot. To keep the social distance between human being to prevent from being infected is the most important...

Antimicrobials are important adjuncts in the treatment of caries and periodontitis. However, increased bacterial resistance and hypersensitivity reactions to commonly used antimicrobials have led to an increasing demand for safe and natural substances. The objective of this study was to investigate the antibacterial effects of ε-polylysine against...

The musculoskeletal system, which comprises muscles, tendons, and bones, is an efficient tissue complex that coordinates body movement and maintains structural stability. The process of its construction into a single functional and complex organization is unclear. SRY-box containing gene 9 (Sox9) is expressed initially in pluripotent cells and subs...

Low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid (LMWHA) was integrated with superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs). The size distribution, zeta potential, viscosity, thermogravimetric and paramagnetic properties of the LMWHA-Fe3O4 NPs were systematically examined. For cellular experiments, MCF7 breast cancer cell line was carried out. In addition,...

Porphyromonas gingivalis infection is one of the causes of implant failures, which can lead to peri-implantitis. Implant surface roughness is reportedly related strongly to P. gingivalis adhesion, which can lead to peri-implantitis and, later, cell adhesion. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of Er,Cr:YSGG laser on titanium (Ti) disc surfaces and...

Due to autogenous bone limitations, some substitute bone grafts were developed. Collagenated porcine graft (CPG) is able to regenerate new bone, although the number of studies is insufficient, highlighting the need for future studies to better understand the biomaterial. In order to understand better CPG′s possible dental guided bone regeneration i...

After tooth extraction, alveolar ridge loss due to resorption is almost inevitable. Most of this bone loss occurs during the first six months after the extraction procedure. Many studies have indicated that applying socket-filling biomaterials after extraction can effectively reduce the resorption rate of the alveolar ridge. The purpose of this stu...

Peri-implantitis has become a common complication, accompanied by soft tissue inflammation. Porphyromonas gingivalis infection is the major cause of inflammation and progressive bone loss in the jaws. The surface property of titanium implants is a key factor in the alteration of osseointegration and P. gingivalis adhesion. However, the interplay be...

The authors are sorry to report that some of the HPLC data reported in their recently published paper [...]

In this study, we prepared low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid (LMWHA) powder by γ-irradiation. The chemical and physical properties of γ-irradiated LMWHA and the in vitro cellular growth experiments with γ-irradiated LMWHA were analyzed. Then, hyaluronic acid exposed to 20 kGy of γ-irradiation was used to fabricate a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)...

Objective: To describe remodeling of the mesial and distal marginal bone level around platform-switched (PS) and platform-matched (PM) dental implants that were sandblasted with large grit and etched with acid over a three-year period. Materials and methods: Digital periapical radiographs were obtained at the following time-points: during Stage...

Sapindus mukorossi seed oil is commonly used as a source for biodiesel fuel. Its phytochemical composition is similar to the extracted oil from Sapindus trifoliatus seeds, which exhibit beneficial effects for skin wound healing. Since S. mukorossi seed shows no cyanogenic property, it could be a potential candidate for the treatment of skin wounds....

Natural killer (NK) cells are innately immune to the body’s immune system and can actively recognize and kill cancer cells. This study explores the potential for enhancing the killing ability of NK cells by co-culturing the NK cells with the target cells under a static magnetic field (SMF). In this study, NK92-MI cell lines were cultured in the pre...

Low-temperature plasma-treated porcine grafts (PGPT) may be an effective means for treating demanding osseous defects and enhance our understanding of plasma-tissue engineering. We chemically characterized porcine grafts under low-temperature Argon plasma treatment (CAP) and evaluated their biocompatibility in-vitro. Our results showed that PGPT di...

In this study, we report a novel approach to fabricate an organic/inorganic magnetic hybrid system capable of self-healing, wherein a polycaprolactone-poly(furfuryl glycidyl ether) copolymer (PCLF) serving as the structure template was first synthesized, followed by the incorporation of iron oxide nanoparticles-decorated multiwalled carbon nanotube...

Bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) is an effective additive used to enhance radiography resolution for dental materials. However, there are potential concerns regarding its biocompatibility and connection to tissue discoloration. In the present study, we modified the radiopacity properties of Bi2O3 with zirconium oxide (ZrO2) using a sol-gel process and investi...

Dental crowding is a prevalent problem in modern society. Various factors, including different bracket systems and geometry of wire, influence the outcome using superelastic wire in the alignment stage of treatment. Currently, the use of light round wire instead of large-sized rectangular wire is emphasized to avoid powerful torsional stiffness. Ho...

Fe3O4 nanoparticles were loaded into poly-l-lactide (PLLA) with concentrations of 2% and 5%, respectively, using an electrospinning method. In vivo animal experiments were then performed to evaluate the potential of the Fe3O4/PLLA nanofibrous material for bone tissue engineering applications. Bony defects with a diameter of 4 mm were prepared in ra...

The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding early childhood caries (ECC) prevention and implementation of medical setting-based caries prevention among pediatricians and dentists in Taiwan. Data were collected from currently practicing pediatricians and general and pediatric dentists using self-administered q...

Decision tree (DT) analysis was applied in this cross-sectional study to investigate caries experience in children by using clinical and microbiological data obtained from parent-child pairs. Thirty pairs of parents and children were recruited from periodontal and pediatric dental clinics. All participants were clinically examined for caries and pe...

The biocharacteristics of xenogeneic grafts make them a possible substitute for autogenous bone grafts in dental bone graft procedures. This study aimed to develop a novel porcine graft with collagen capable of generating new bone in bone defects via osteoconduction over 8 weeks of healing and to compare it with a porcine graft. The porcine collage...

Free vascularized fibular flaps (FVFF) have an advantage in their applicability for extensive bone defects in the maxillofacial region after surgery, and have therefore been employed in maxillofacial reconstruction in Western countries. For successful application of FVFF, anatomical understanding of the fibula is necessary. Many studies on the fibu...

Glow discharge plasma (GDP) treatments of biomaterials, such as hydroxyapatite/β-tricalcium phosphate (HA/β-TCP) composites, produce surfaces with fewer contaminants and may facilitate cell attachment and enhance bone regeneration. Thus, in this study we used argon glow discharge plasma (Ar-GDP) treatments to modify HA/β-TCP particle surfaces and i...

The benefits and feasibility of platform switching have been discussed in several studies, reporting lesser crestal bone loss in platform-switched implants than in platform-matched implants. Objective. The aim of the present study was to observe the changes in vertical and horizontal marginal bone levels in platform-switched and platform-matched de...

Bioengineeringmaterials have been developed and applied in clinical therapy for rehabilitation of edentulous arches. The materials were also known with restoring the function and health in human beings. The concept for current bioengineering materials is based on a scaffold of tissue engineering triangle. Along with this evolution, bioengineering m...

The aim of this study was to fabricate biodegradable poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) bone screws containing iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles, which are radiopaque and 3D-printable. The PLLA composites were fabricated by loading 20%, 30%, and 40% Fe3O4 nanoparticles into the PLLA. The physical properties, including elastic modulus, thermal properties, and...

As peri-implantitis is associated with biofilm development, the characteristics of titanium implants may influence biofilm formation, and thereby increase the risk for inflammation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of titanium surface roughness induced by various debridement methods of peri-implants, such as the use of an ultr...

The most commonly used cryoprotectant for cells and tissues is dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). However, the cytotoxic effect of DMSO is a concern when high concentrations are used. The aim of this study was to assess the cryoprotective effects of static magnetic fields (SMFs) on human red blood cells (RBCs) during cryopreservation. Before the freezing p...

Purpose . To investigate peri-implant alveolar bone changes using periapical radiographs before and after prosthetic delivery in submerged and nonsubmerged dental implants. Methods . Digital periapical films of 60 ITI Straumann nonsubmerged dental implants and 60 Xive Dentsply submerged dental implants were taken before, immediately after, and 12 a...

For years, in order to improve bone regeneration and prevent the need of a second stage surgery to remove non-resorbable membranes, biological absorbable membranes have gradually been developed and applied in guided tissue regeneration (GTR). The present study's main objective was to achieve space maintenance and bone regeneration using a new freez...

Patients with inadequate volume of alveolar processes or bone defects commonly require graft substitutes in oral, maxillofacial or orthopedic surgery. Ridge augmentation and reconstruction of facial bony defects with bone graft materials achieve better outcomes in functional and aesthetic rehabilitation. The injectable calcium sulfate filler is use...

Past studies in humans have demonstrated horizontal and vertical bone loss after six months following tooth extraction. Many biomaterials have been developed to preserve bone volume after tooth extraction. Type I collagen serves as an excellent delivery system for growth factors and promotes angiogenesis. Calcium phosphate ceramics have also been i...

The aim of this study was to incorporate nanoscale Fe3O4 particles into a poly-L-lactide (PLLA) matrix to fabricate a magnetic and biodegradable composite. The physical and osteogenic functions of this material were tested. Injection molding was used to fabricate four nano-Fe3O4/PLLA composites with Fe3O4 mix ratios of 0%, 20%, 30%, and 40% (w/w)....

Background: Glow discharge plasma (GDP) procedure is an effective method for grafting various proteins, including albumin, type I collagen, and fibronectin, onto a titanium surface. However, the behavior and impact of titanium (Ti) surface modification is yet to be unraveled. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate and analyze the biol...

LAC-2013-0265. The affidavit of approval from the Animal Care and Ethics Committee of Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. (PDF)

The ARRIVE checklist. (PDF)

Modification of the physiochemical properties of titanium surfaces using glow discharge plasma (GDP) and fibronectin coating has been shown to enhance the surface hydrophilicity, surface roughness, cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation. This in vivo study aimed to evaluate the bone integration efficacy of a biologically modified implant surfa...

Purpose: To evaluate whether resonance frequency (RF) analysis combined with modal damping factor (MDF) analysis provides additional information on dental implant healing status. Materials and methods: In in vitro tests, epoxy resin was used to simulate the implant healing process. The RF and MDF values of the implants were measured during the e...