Creation of bio-roots with usage of bioengineered periodontal tissue—A general overview

Abstract

Teeth are crucial for health and appearance. Loss of teeth leads to functional, psychological and esthetic issues. For many years, osseointegrated dental implants have been successfully used as a popular prosthetic restoration method for missing teeth. These implants have a direct connection with the alveolar bone, which can cause damage and affect the implant itself and the temporomandibular joint. Thus, those implants should be inspired by natural teeth, which possess periodontal ligament fibers—a connective tissue structure that has supportive, remodeling, sensitive and nutritive function. With advancement in the fields of tissue engineering and dental implantology, a great number of experiments is performed to reconstruct the periodontium around the titanium implants. The aim of this study was to examine studies published between 2000 and 2017, and the clinical benefits of such bioengineered implants. Research is based on full-length papers retrieved from PubMed/Medline electronic database using the key words ‘dental implants’, ‘regenerative dentistry, ‘tissue engineering’, ‘bioengineered periodontal tissue’, ‘tooth replantation’. After application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 papers were selected and critically reviewed. In the following articles it was found that bioengineered dental tissue could be used as a successful therapy method with a focus on significant improvement in the quality of a patient’s life. Further studies are needed for the development of these novel approaches as they cannot be easily applied clinically for various reasons due to the complexity of wrapping periodontal ligament fibers around the dental titanium implants. In addition to this, aggravating factors for usage of such tissue engineering implants on the daily basis are most suitable in terms of costs and time required for practical applications.