Novel agents that promote bone regeneration

Periodontal materials and cell biology for guided tissue and bone regeneration

The present review is intended to find links between periodontal materials of the dentomaxillary apparatus and cell biology at the beginning of a century fraught with various forms of periodontal diseases and needing new treatment strategies. The manuscript has two different parts. The first describes the anatomy of tooth supporting structures, as well as related pathologies. The second part is related to cell and molecular biology in the context of periodontal regeneration.

Bone morphogenetic proteins: periodontal regeneration

Periodontitis is an infectious inflammatory disease that results in attachment loss and bone loss. Regeneration of the periodontal tissues entails de novo formation of cementum, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone. Several different approaches are currently being explored to achieve complete, reliable, and reproducible regeneration of periodontal tissues. The therapeutic management of new bone formation is one of the key issues in successful periodontal regeneration. Bone morphogenetic proteins form a unique group of proteins within the transforming growth factor superfamily of genes and have a vital role in the regulation in the bone induction and maintenance. The activity of bone morphogenetic proteins was first identified in the 1960s, but the proteins responsible for bone induction were unknown until the purification and cloning of human bone morphogenetic proteins in the 1980s, because of their osteoinductive potential. Bone morphogenetic proteins have gained a lot of interest as therapeutic agents for treating periodontal defects. A systematic search for data related to the use of bone morphogenetic proteins for the regeneration of periodontal defects was performed to recognize studies on animals and human (PUBMED, MEDLINE, COCHRANE, and Google search). All the studies included showed noticeable regeneration of periodontal tissues with the use of BMP.

Dental implants and the use of rhBMP-2

Tissue engineering is an emerging field of medicine and dentistry that combines the body's natural biologic response to tissue injury with engineering principles. The goal is to replicate or reconstruct the natural form and function of missing tissues and organs. Tissue-engineered bone with native qualities will be necessary for implantation or migration of engineered teeth in the future, and is currently required for the osseointegration of dental implants. This article addresses the role of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) in native bone healing for implant osseointegration and the application of BMP for de novo bone regeneration.

Dental implants and the use of rhBMP-2

Tissue engineering is an emerging field of medicine and dentistry that combines the body's natural biologic response to tissue injury with engineering principles. The goal is to replicate or reconstruct the natural form and function of missing tissues and organs. Tissue-engineered bone with native qualities will be necessary for implantation or migration of engineered teeth in the future, and is currently required for the osseointegration of dental implants. This article addresses the role of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) in native bone healing for implant osseointegration and the application of BMP for de novo bone regeneration.

Bone morphogenetic proteins: basic concepts

The cellular and molecular events governing bone formation in the embryo, healing of a fractured bone, and induced bone fusion follow a similar pattern. Discovery, purification, and recombinant synthesis of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) constitute a major milestone in the understanding of bone physiology. In this review the author discusses the mechanism of action, clinical applications, dosage, and optimum carriers for BMPs. The roles played by other growth factors are also discussed.