'Doctors who carried out the pioneering procedure at a hospital in Germany said that it opened up new avenues for the modelling of damaged bones and grafts,' the article said.

The procedure involved making 'a Teflon mould of the jaw replacement using CT scans, which produce 3D X-ray images, and a computer-operated milling machine.'

This mould was wrapped in a titanium mesh cage, which was removed and stuffed with genetically engineered human bone protein and bone marrow taken from the patient. This was implanted under the skin below the man's right shoulder blade, and allowed to remain and grow there for seven weeks, the article said.

Finally, this was removed with a flap of muscle containing blood vessels and attached to the man's face with screws.

The 56-year-old German man underwent surgery for a bone tumor in his jaw eight years before the operation, when a large section of the bone had been removed. Since then, he was able to eat only soft foods and soup.

The article quoted Patrick Warnke, of the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Kiel, as saying that the man was able to chew soon after having the transplant.

'A month later he enjoyed his first solid dinner in almost a decade: a plate of bread and sausages,' The Times said.