Tissue engineering therapy in dentistry now utilizes bio-absorbable scaffolds. By scanning electron microscopy (SEM), we observed structures of three commercial scaffold sponges made of collagen, poly-lactide and calcium phosphate for 3-dimensional (3D) cell culture and one commercial porous bio-absorbable tri-calcium phosphate block for bone-defect filling. It became clear that four samples had pores which ranged widely from approximately 100 to 650 mm and the pores were interconnected both in parallel and perpendicular directions.
Key words:Scaffold, Sponge, SEM observation