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Review
. 2025 Nov 10;13(11):2745.
doi: 10.3390/biomedicines13112745.

CRISPR Genome Editing in Personalized Therapy for Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases: A Scoping Review

Arkadiusz Dziedzic  1 , Robert Kubina  2 , Magdalena Skonieczna  3   4 , Marcel Madej  5 , Jakub Fiegler-Rudol  6 , Mushriq Abid  7 , Doaa Nadhim  8 , Marta Tanasiewicz  1
Affiliations
Review

CRISPR Genome Editing in Personalized Therapy for Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases: A Scoping Review

Arkadiusz Dziedzic et al. Biomedicines. .

Abstract

Background: CRISPR/Cas genome editing is emerging as a powerful tool in oral and maxillofacial medicine, with potential applications in personalized therapies for conditions that currently lack durable treatments. Objectives: This scoping review aimed to map existing evidence on CRISPR-based applications in oral and maxillofacial fields, rather than to assess treatment effectiveness. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov (2012-2024) identified studies and registered trials involving CRISPR with oral health relevance. Eligible articles included peer-reviewed experimental reports and clinical trials. Results: From 1437 records, 121 studies met inclusion criteria: 106 preclinical reports and 15 clinical or translational studies. Investigated domains included oral cancer therapy, hereditary craniofacial syndromes, regenerative strategies, infectious disease models, and pathogen detection. Early clinical efforts focus mainly on CRISPR-edited T-cell immunotherapies in oncology. Major barriers include off-target effects, delivery challenges, regulatory complexity, and ethical concerns. Conclusions: CRISPR-based bioengineering shows strong promise for precision care in oral and maxillofacial medicine. However, current evidence remains largely preclinical and heterogeneous. No clinical recommendations can yet be made, and translation will depend on rigorous late-phase trials, ethical oversight, and health-economic evaluation.

Keywords: CRISPR; Caspase-9; craniofacial defects; gene editing; genetics; oral cancer; oral medicine; oral pathologies; targeted therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study Flow Diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The primary mechanism of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology. Created in BioRender. Dziedzic, A. (2025) https://BioRender.com/p62u5m9 (accessed on 1 February 2025).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The prospective clinical applications of CRISPR genome-editing bioengineering in oral medicine and maxillofacial fields. Created in BioRender. Dziedzic, A. (2025) https://BioRender.com/6jtf5z8 (accessed on 1 January 2025).
Figure 4
Figure 4
CRISPR-based screening for essentiality and drug resistance. Created in BioRender. Dziedzic, A. (2025) https://BioRender.com/9dh1tec (accessed on 1 February 2025).
Figure 5
Figure 5
CRISPR-based cellular therapy for inherited conditions manifesting in oral/maxillofacial areas. Created in BioRender. Dziedzic, A. (2025) https://BioRender.com/h980ant (accessed on 5 August 2025).
Figure 6
Figure 6
The future potential of the use of CRISPR facilitating xenogenic transplants of genetically modified tissues/organs within head and neck area. Created in BioRender. Dziedzic, A. (2025) https://BioRender.com/fnacht4 (accessed on 7 April 2025).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Harnessing CRISPR for rapid pathogens detection. Created in BioRender. Dziedzic, A. (2025) https://BioRender.com/tc160np (accessed on 1 June 2025).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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