Periodontal tissue engineering

The periodontium is composed of the tissues supporting and investing the tooth. One of the major goals of periodontal therapy is to encourage regeneration of tissues that have been destroyed as a result of periodontal disease. Bone grafting materials have been used to replace the alveolar bone lost within the periodontal defect, with the rationale being that this would facilitate new attachment formation to the adjacent root surface. Guided tissue regeneration (GTR) uses biocompatible barrier membranes to enable selective cellular recolonisation of periodontal defects. For successful periodontal regeneration via tissue engineering, the engineered tissues should have sufficient biomechanical strength, architectural properties, and space-maintaining ability. Several preclinical trials have shown that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) have the capacity to promote periodontal regeneration through enhanced generation of cementum, periodontal ligament, alveolar bone, and neovascularisation. The use of decellularised matrices as a biologic scaffold is gaining increasing attention in regenerative medicine.