Objective: Bone tissue engineering is a promising approach for bone reconstruction in oral-maxillofacial surgery. This study investigates the suitability of oral skeletal tissues as convenient and accessible sources of osteogenic progenitors as an alternative to the iliac crest bone marrow.
Study design: Samples of maxilla tuberosity (MT) and maxillary and mandibular periosteum (MP) were obtained during routine oral surgery, and donor site morbidity was assessed using a "split-mouth" approach. Cells isolated from MT (bone marrow stromal cells; MT-BMSCs) and from MP (periosteal cells; M-PCs), were analyzed for clonogenicity, phenotype, expression of osteogenic markers, and ability to form bone in vivo.
Results: Both MT-BMSCs and M-PCs included clonogenic cells, showed comparable phenotypic profiles, and expressed early osteogenic markers. Most importantly, both cell populations formed bone upon ectopic in vivo transplantation.
Conclusion: MT-BMSCs and M-PCs behaved as osteoprogenitor cells in vitro and in vivo. MT and MP may be considered as suitable sources of cells for bone tissue engineering in humans.