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Review
. 2015 Sep;7(9):138-42.

Tissue Engineering: Step Ahead in Maxillofacial Reconstruction

Raj Rai  1 , Rushik Raval  2 , Rakshit Vijay Sinai Khandeparker  3 , Swati K Chidrawar  4 , Abdul Ahad Khan  5 , Makne Sachin Ganpat  6
Affiliations
Review

Tissue Engineering: Step Ahead in Maxillofacial Reconstruction

Raj Rai et al. J Int Oral Health. 2015 Sep.

Abstract

Within the precedent decade, a new field of "tissue engineering" or "tissue regeneration" emerge that offers an innovative and exhilarating substitute for maxillofacial reconstruction. It offers a new option to supplement existing treatment regimens for reconstruction/regeneration of the oral and craniofacial complex, which includes the teeth, periodontium, bones, soft tissues (oral mucosa, conjunctiva, skin), salivary glands, and the temporomandibular joint (bone and cartilage), as well as blood vessels, muscles, tendons, and nerves. Tissue engineering is based on harvesting the stem cells which are having potential to form an organ. Harvested cells are then transferred into scaffolds that are manufactured in a laboratory to resemble the structure of the desired tissue to be replaced. This article reviews the principles of tissue engineering and its various applications in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Keywords: Reconstruction; Scaffolds; regeneration; signaling molecules; stem cells; tissue engineering.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Triad of tissue engineering.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Differentiation of stem cells.
Figure 3
Figure 3
3-D synthetic polycaprolactone scaffold.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The components of tissue engineering, MSC: Mesenchymal stem cells, EpSC: Epithelial stem cells, DFPC: Dental follicle precursor cell, DFSC: Dental follicle stem cells, SHED: Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth, SCAP: Stem cells from apical papilla, PDLSC: Periodontal ligament stem cells, DPSC: Dental pulp stem cells, BMP: Bone morphogenic proteins, FGF: Fibroblast growth factor, IL: Interleukins, IGF: Insulin-like growth factor, PDGF: Plasma-derived growth factor, TGF: Transforming growth factor, VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Three approaches to the engineering of a tissue. (a) In conductive approaches, a scaffold can act as a resorbable barrier conniving which cells can penetrate and instigate repair. (b) Inductive approaches can entail the discharge of bioactive molecules that attach to specific host cells with receptors for the molecules. The specific cells migrate into the defect and begin to form a new extracellular matrix. (c) In the cell transplantation approach, cells from a donor source are placed directly into a polymer scaffold in vitro, and the cell-scaffold construct is consequently implanted into the tissue defect site. The transplanted cells, along with host cells form a tissue regenerate that is structurally and functionally incorporated with the host tissue.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Steps of tissue regeneration and implantation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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