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Hierarchical Biomineralization: from Nature's Designs to Synthetic Materials for Regenerative Medicine and Dentistry
Author(s) -
Elsharkawy Sherif,
Mata Alvaro
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced healthcare materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.288
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 2192-2659
pISSN - 2192-2640
DOI - 10.1002/adhm.201800178
Subject(s) - biomineralization , creatures , regenerative medicine , biomimetic materials , biomimetics , nanotechnology , hierarchical organization , perspective (graphical) , process (computing) , computer science , materials science , engineering , biology , artificial intelligence , stem cell , paleontology , genetics , management , chemical engineering , natural (archaeology) , economics , operating system
Biomineralization is a highly dynamic, yet controlled, process that many living creatures employ to develop functional tissues such as tooth enamel, bone, and others. A major goal in materials science is to create bioinspired functional structures based on the precise organization of building blocks across multiple length scales. Therefore, learning how nature has evolved to use biomineralization could inspire new ways to design and develop synthetic hierarchical materials with enhanced functionality. Toward this goal, this review dissects the current understanding of structure–function relationships of dental enamel and bone using a materials science perspective and discusses a wide range of synthetic technologies that aim to recreate their hierarchical organization and functionality. Insights into how these strategies could be applied for regenerative medicine and dentistry are also provided.