title: Periosteum: a highly underrated tool in dentistry.
abstract: The ultimate goal of any dental treatment is the regeneration of lost tissues and alveolar bone. Under the appropriate culture conditions, periosteal cells secrete extracellular matrix and form a membranous structure. The periosteum can be easily harvested from the patient's own oral cavity, where the resulting donor site wound is invisible. Owing to the above reasons, the periosteum offers a rich cell source for bone tissue engineering; hence, the regenerative potential of periosteum is immense. Although the use of periosteum as a regenerative tool has been extensive in general medical field, the regenerative potential of periosteum is highly underestimated in dentistry; therefore, the present paper reviews the current literature related to the regenerative potential of periosteum and gives an insight to the future use of periosteum in dentistry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontics, Himachal Pradesh Government Dental College and Hospital, Snowdown, Shimla 171001, India.
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahajan