Nature Biotechnology21, 1025 - 1032 (2003)
Published online: 29 August 2003; | doi:10.1038/nbt864
The application of bone morphogenetic proteins to dental tissue engineering
Misako Nakashima1
& A Hari Reddi2
1
Faculty of Dental Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812−8582, Japan.
2
Center for Tissue Regeneration and Repair, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California 95817, USA.
Progress in understanding the role of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) in craniofacial and tooth development, the demonstration of stem cells in dental pulp and accumulating knowledge on biomaterial scaffolds have set the stage for tissue engineering and regenerative therapy of the craniofacial complex. Furthermore, the recent approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA; Rockville, MD, USA) of recombinant human BMPs for accelerating bone fusion in slow-healing fractures indicates that this protein family may prove useful in designing regenerative treatments in dental applications. In the near term, these advances are likely to be applied to endodontics and periodontal surgery; ultimately, they may facilitate approaches to regenerating whole teeth for use in tooth replacement.
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated
