Strategies and Challenges in the Treatment of Dental Enamel

Cells Tissues Organs. 2023;212(6):485-498. doi: 10.1159/000525790. Epub 2022 Jul 1.

Abstract

Enamel tissue, the hardest body tissue, which covers the outside of the tooth shields the living tissue, but it erodes and disintegrates in the acidic environment of the oral cavity. On the one hand, mature enamel is cell-free and, if damaged, does not regenerate. Tooth sensitivity and decay are caused by enamel loss. On the other hand, the tissue engineering approach is challenging because of the unique structure of tooth enamel. To develop an exemplary method for dental enamel rebuilding, accurate knowledge of the structure of tooth enamel, knowing how it is created and how proteins interact in its structure, is critical. Furthermore, novel techniques in tissue engineering for using stem cells to develop enamel must be established. This article aims to discuss current attempts to regenerate enamel using synthetic materials methods, recent advances in enamel tissue engineering, and the prospects of enamel biomimetics to find unique insights into future possibilities for repairing enamel tissue, perhaps the most fascinating of all tooth tissues.

Keywords: Enamel; Regeneration; Tissue engineering; Tooth decay.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biomimetics
  • Dental Enamel
  • Stem Cells
  • Tissue Engineering / methods
  • Tooth*