Biomineralization is a process in which natural organisms regulate the crystal growth of inorganic minerals, resulting in hierarchical structured biominerals with excellent properties. Typical biominerals in the human body are the bones and teeth, and damage to these hard tissues directly affect our daily lives. The repair of bones and teeth in a biomimetic way, either by using a biomimetic mineralization strategy or biomimetic materials, is the key for hard tissue regeneration. In this review, we briefly introduce the structure of bone and tooth, and highlight the fundamental role of collagen mineralization in tissue repair. The recent progress on intra-/extrafibrillar collagen mineralization by a biomimetic strategy or materials is presented, and their potential for tissue regeneration is discussed. Then, recent achievements on bone and tooth repair are summarized, and these works are discussed in the view of materials science and biological science, providing a broader vision for the future research of hard tissue repair techniques. Lastly, recent progress on hard tissue regeneration is concluded, and existing problems and future directions are prospected.
Keywords: biomineralization; bone; calcium phosphate; collagen mineralization; materials; tissue engineering; tooth.