Dental Tissue Engineering: a New Approach to Dental Tissue Reconstruction

Caries, trauma, erosion and periodontal disease are pathologies characterized by the damage and loss of dental tissues and sometimes loss of the whole tooth. These groups of diseases are very common and affect millions of people worldwide in both developing and industrialized countries. Restorations of damaged tooth tissues and substitution of missing teeth with artificial prostheses represent the traditional therapeutic solutions. Although many sophisticated biomaterials are now available for restoration, their use is not yet completely satisfactory. Implants, crowns, bridges and any kind of restorations are generally less functional, durable and aesthetic than intact teeth and they are aimed at repairing rather than regenerating tissues. In addition, the economical impact of such kind of therapeutic approaches is notable. The World Health Organization estimated that the dental treatment costs accounted for 5-10% of healthcare budgets in industrialized countries and adjunctive costs may be considered in terms of absences from work (Petersen, 2003). In the last few decades the process of tooth mineralization and the role of molecular control of cellular behaviour during embryonic tooth development have received much attention. The knowledge gained in these fields has improved the general understanding about the formation of dental tissues and the whole tooth and set the basis for teeth regeneration. The present chapter is divided as follows: