In bone tissue engineering, the performance of scaffolds
underpins
the success of the healing of bone. Microbial infection is the most
challenging issue for orthopedists. The application of scaffolds for
healing bone defects is prone to microbial infection. To address this
challenge, scaffolds with a desirable shape and significant mechanical,
physical, and biological characteristics are crucial. 3D printing
of antibacterial scaffolds with suitable mechanical strength and excellent
biocompatibility is an appealing strategy to surmount issues of microbial
infection. The spectacular progress in developing antimicrobial scaffolds,
along with beneficial mechanical and biological properties, has sparked
further research for possible clinical applications. Herein, the significance
of antibacterial scaffolds designed by 3D, 4D, and 5D printing technologies
for bone tissue engineering is critically investigated. Materials
such as antibiotics, polymers, peptides, graphene, metals/ceramics/glass,
and antibacterial coatings are used to impart the antimicrobial features
for the 3D scaffolds. Polymeric or metallic biodegradable and antibacterial
3D-printed scaffolds in orthopedics disclose exceptional mechanical
and degradation behavior, biocompatibility, osteogenesis, and long-term
antibacterial efficiency. The commercialization aspect of antibacterial
3D-printed scaffolds and technical challenges are also discussed briefly.
Finally, the discussion on the unmet demands and prevailing challenges
for ideal scaffold materials for fighting against bone infections
is included along with a highlight of emerging strategies in this
field.