A Review of Recent Applications of 3D Printing in Healthcare Research and Development

1. Introduction:

Three-dimensional (3D) printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), has emerged as a transformative technology in the development of patient-specific medical implants and devices. Unlike conventional manufacturing methods that typically produce standard-size implants, 3D printing enables precise customization by translating patient-specific anatomical data—obtained from CT or MRI scans—into detailed 3D models. This allows clinicians to design and fabricate implants that match the patient's unique bone or tissue structure with high precision, improving surgical fit, reducing recovery time, and lowering the risk of implant failure or the need for revision surgery [1,2]. One of the most valuable advantages of 3D printing lies in its capacity to fabricate complex geometries that traditional subtractive manufacturing techniques cannot achieve. These complex lattice structures and porous surfaces can mimic natural bone morphology, improve osseointegration, and reduce implant weight without compromising strength [1,3,4]. Additionally, the material versatility of 3D printing broadens its applicability across various clinical domains. A wide array of biomaterials—including titanium alloys, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), ceramics, polymers, and composite nanomaterials—can be tailored to meet specific mechanical, structural, and biocompatibility needs, depending on the clinical application [4, 5,6]. Three-dimensional printing (3DP) has emerged as a transformative force in the healthcare sector, offering unprecedented opportunities to improve patient care, accelerate medical research, and enhance clinical training. Among its most impactful applications is in surgical planning and intraoperative guidance. Using data from imaging modalities such as MRI and CT scans, clinicians can generate patient-specific anatomical models that replicate the unique morphology of organs, bones, or soft tissues. These models enable surgeons to visualize complex anatomy preoperatively, practice procedures, and make more informed decisions during surgery, thereby increasing accuracy and reducing operative risks [7, 8,9]. Furthermore, 3DP facilitates the creation of customized surgical guides that are designed to fit precisely onto a patient's anatomy. These guides help direct surgical tools during critical procedures such as orthopedic or craniofacial reconstruction, significantly enhancing precision and surgical outcomes [7,8,[7,8,]. In the realm of prosthetics and implants, 3DP has revolutionized patient rehabilitation by enabling the fabrication of personalized prosthetic limbs and medical implants tailored to individual anatomical features. This personalization results in enhanced comfort, functionality, and aesthetic integration, particularly for patients with limb loss or deformities [8, 10,11] Dental medicine also benefits from this technology, as dental implants such as crowns, bridges, and surgical templates can be rapidly and precisely produced for each patient [12, 7]. The capacity to design and fabricate custom medical devices and instruments has further streamlined patient-specific interventions. For instance, orthoses, joint supports, and specialized surgical instruments can be manufactured on demand, meeting exact clinical requirements [12,9].

2. 3D Printing in Custom Prosthetic Design:

3D printing has revolutionized custom prosthetic design by offering faster production, increased affordability, and unmatched personalization. Traditional prosthetic manufacturing methods—often reliant on plaster molding and manual labor—are time-consuming, costly, and inconsistent in quality. In contrast, 3D printing streamlines the process using digital blueprints and computer-aided design (CAD), enabling the direct fabrication of prosthetics tailored to individual anatomy with far greater efficiency and precision [13]. The most transformative impact of 3D printing lies in its ability to create prosthetics that are not only functional but also highly customized to the patient’s specific needs. This customization is achieved through advanced 3D scanning of the residual limb, which captures precise anatomical data. The data is then processed in CAD software to produce digital models that ensure an optimal fit, improved comfort, and better functional outcomes. Such patient-specific prosthetics are particularly beneficial for children and individuals with unique anatomical features [13]. Material and design flexibility is another key advantage. 3D printing accommodates a wide range of advanced materials—such as thermoplastic elastomers, carbon-fiber composites, and titanium alloys—that improve the strength, durability, and weight of prosthetic devices. Complex internal structures like lattices can be incorporated to enhance ergonomics and mimic biological properties. This enables prosthetics to better withstand physical stress while remaining lightweight and user-friendly [13]. Furthermore, recent case studies show real-world success in diverse contexts, including the use of smartphone-based scanning to produce sockets, prosthetic hands for children, and custom devices for unique occupational tasks like playing musical instruments. These developments underscore the broad utility and adaptability of 3D printing in prosthetic design [13].

3. 3D Printing in Drug Delivery Systems

Three-dimensional printing (3DP), or additive manufacturing, is revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry by enabling the development of highly customized and efficient drug delivery systems. Unlike traditional manufacturing methods, 3DP allows for the precise fabrication of drug carriers with complex geometries, offering tailored solutions to meet individual patient needs. Customization is a key benefit, as it permits the design of dosage forms with specific shapes, release kinetics, and drug concentrations based on patient physiology and disease profiles [3,7,14]. Moreover, 3DP excels in fabricating intricate structures that are difficult to achieve through conventional techniques, enhancing controlled drug release and targeting capabilities [14,7,11]. 3DP is used to fabricate personalized pharmaceutical formulations, including tablets with complex geometries that allow for precise and programmable drug release. Additionally, microneedles and implantable drug-eluting devices are being developed to improve targeted therapy and reduce systemic side effects [3,16,17]. This innovation is a critical enabler of personalized medicine, especially for populations with unique needs, such as pediatric, geriatric, or polymedicated patients. The design flexibility of 3D printing supports the development of dosage forms aligned with patients’ pharmacokinetic profiles [18]. It also enables enhanced bioavailability for drugs with poor solubility by controlling the spatial arrangement of active pharmaceutical ingredients [16,19]. Several 3D printing technologies are used in pharmaceutical applications. Inkjet printing delivers precise drug doses in layers; fused deposition modeling (FDM) extrudes thermoplastic filaments to build solid structures; vat photopolymerization cures liquid resin for high-resolution forms; and powder bed fusion binds powders into complex drug-containing geometries [16]. In terms of application, 3D printing supports the development of oral tablets with tailored release profiles—immediate, delayed, or sustained—according to therapeutic need [3,14,16]. It is also enables the fabrication of implants and microneedles for localized drug delivery, allowing for extended release at targeted sites, such as joints or skin tissue [16,18]. Transdermal systems, such as 3D-printed microneedle patches, offer non-invasive drug delivery by enhancing skin penetration without pain or risk of infection [20]. Another notable innovation is the development of polypills, where multiple drugs are integrated into a single personalized pill, simplifying complex regimens and improving adherence [3,13]

4. 3D Printing in Bioprinting

Another groundbreaking advancement is bioprinting, which focuses on the creation of biologically functional tissues. Using specialized bioinks composed of living cells and biomaterials, researchers are now able to print tissue models that can mimic native physiology. These bioprinted structures serve as valuable platforms for disease modeling, drug testing, and may eventually lead to bioengineered organ transplants [8,10]. In addition to generating functional tissues, bioprinting has immense potential in regenerative medicine, enabling the repair or replacement of damaged tissues through the layer-by-layer fabrication of complex biological structures [3, 21]. The numerous advantages of 3DP in healthcare are notable. Its ability to produce patient-specific models and devices fosters a highly personalized approach to medical treatment, which is particularly critical in surgical planning, implant design, and orthotic development [12,10]. Moreover, 3DP is cost-effective, reducing material waste through additive manufacturing, shortening the development cycle, and facilitating rapid prototyping—all of which contribute to lower production costs and improved accessibility [16]. This technology also catalyzes innovation by providing a platform for the fast development of novel medical devices and enabling iterative design improvements based on clinical feedback [12]

5. Challenges and Limitation:

However, the adoption of 3DP in healthcare is not without challenges. Regulatory and quality control issues are among the most pressing concerns, as medical-grade 3D-printed products must meet rigorous safety, efficacy, and biocompatibility standards. Navigating these regulatory frameworks can be complex, especially given the diversity of 3D printing materials and processes [22, 23,24]. Furthermore, the limited availability of suitable biomaterials—those that are simultaneously biocompatible, sterilisable, and structurally stable—remains a significant barrier to wider adoption in clinical settings [12,24]. Regulatory bodies require extensive testing and documentation to approve custom implants due to variability in patient anatomy and the individualized nature of each product. This presents unique hurdles in achieving standardized quality control and consistent safety profiles [25,26,27,28]. Material biocompatibility and long-term durability remain ongoing concerns. Researchers continue to explore and test new materials that provide optimal mechanical strength while ensuring biological safety in the human body [ 4,29,30]. Additionally, realizing the full potential of 3DP requires skilled personnel who are well-versed in both medical and engineering principles, underscoring the need for interdisciplinary training and collaboration [12,3,31].

6. The Future Prospects

The future prospects of 3D printing in healthcare are exceptionally promising. Continued advancements in material science, bioprinting technologies, and regulatory harmonization are expected to further expand the range of clinical applications. Moreover, 3DP aligns closely with the goals of personalized medicine, allowing for tailored therapies, implants, and drug regimens that consider individual genetic, anatomical, and physiological profiles [12, 23]. To ensure that these advancements are accessible and ethically implemented, it will be vital to address key issues related to equity, cost, and healthcare infrastructure, especially in resource-limited settings. Looking to the future, technological advancements such as 3D bioprinting could further expand the scope of patient-specific implants by enabling the fabrication of living tissues or even entire organs. Innovations in this space are beginning to bridge the gap between synthetic implants and biological regeneration, presenting revolutionary opportunities for regenerative medicine and organ transplantation [ 32,33,34]. These developments, while still emerging, have the potential to drastically alter how diseases are treated and how functional restoration is achieved for patients with complex tissue damage or organ failure.

7. Conclusions

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is redefining the future of healthcare by enabling the design and fabrication of highly personalized, functional, and efficient medical solutions. As explored in this paper, the integration of additive manufacturing across diverse domains—ranging from surgical planning and drug delivery to tissue engineering and prosthetics—demonstrates its broad applicability and impact. In particular, the development of custom prosthetics stands out as a groundbreaking advancement. By leveraging patient-specific anatomical data and digital design tools, 3D printing allows for the rapid production of prosthetic limbs that are lightweight, affordable, and tailored to the unique needs of each individual. This level of customization not only enhances comfort and mobility but also democratizes access to assistive devices, especially in underserved or low-resource regions.

Beyond prosthetics, 3D printing is revolutionizing drug delivery through the fabrication of complex dosage forms with controlled release profiles. Personalized tablets and polypills can now be produced with variable geometries and drug combinations, improving treatment adherence and therapeutic outcomes. In regenerative medicine, bioprinting opens new avenues for fabricating tissue scaffolds and organ models using living cells, laying the groundwork for future applications in organ transplantation. Despite its potential, several challenges persist, including regulatory barriers, limited material libraries, scalability issues, and the need for skilled interdisciplinary teams. However, continuous advancements in printer technology, biomaterials, and computational modeling are addressing these gaps at a rapid pace. As the technology continues to mature, its integration into mainstream clinical practice is expected to accelerate—reshaping the delivery of care and improving quality of life for patients worldwide, particularly through innovations like custom prosthetics and patient-specific therapeutic systems