Tissue engineering application in regenerative endodontics

Regenerative endodontics can be defined as a group of procedures that use tissue engineering, gene therapy, and stem cell-based approaches to regenerate tissue in tooth cavities. One of the main advantages of dental pulp revitalization compared to traditional endodontic treatments is that, by maintaining living tissue in the tooth cavity, teeth retain their defensive, nutritional, and sensory abilities which can provide protection against potential infection. This review discusses the application of stem cells in dental pulp regeneration, with an emphasis on tissue engineering strategies.

In particular, tissue engineered scaffolds, which can provide a supportive structure for stem cell growth, will be examined. We discuss characteristics of an ideal scaffold, the use of growth factors which can have an important impact on cell proliferation and differentiation, and current therapies based on tissue engineering for dental pulp revitalization.