Tools for tissue engineering of mineralized oral structures

This paper presents a short review of three groups of tools which can be or are used for the tissue engineering of mineralized oral structures: growth factor delivery systems (GFDS) and surface bioactivation with covalent bound peptides or with nanomechanically linked proteins. According to the reported personal experience of the authors, GFDS have to face the following challenging issue before being used routinely in dentistry, e.g., as a tool for reparative dentinogenesis or bone healing: adaptation of the GFDS design to the tissue where it will be implanted in order to deliver the right dose of growth factor (GF) at the right time. The bioactivation of surfaces, for example of dental implants, with covalent bound peptides or nanomechanically linked proteins represents a second innovative way to improve dental health in the future. Here we report on the experimental use of cyclic RGD peptides grafted on polymethylmethacrylate to improve osteoblast adhesion. Furthermore, we show the potential advantage of immobilizing and incorporating collagen I on titanium implant surfaces. These techniques or a combination of them will help to create improvements, for example, of dental implants in the near future. They will also help to promote bone and dentin regeneration.