title: Current concepts of bone tissue engineering for craniofacial bone defect repair.
abstract: Craniofacial fractures and bony defects are common causes of morbidity and contribute to increasing health care costs. Successful regeneration of bone requires the concomitant processes of osteogenesis and neovascularization. Current methods of repair and reconstruction include rigid fixation, grafting, and free tissue transfer. However, these methods carry innate complications, including plate extrusion, nonunion, graft/flap failure, and donor site morbidity. Recent research efforts have focused on using stem cells and synthetic scaffolds to heal critical-sized bone defects similar to those sustained from traumatic injury or ablative oncologic surgery. Growth factors can be used to augment both osteogenesis and neovascularization across these defects. Many different growth factor delivery techniques and scaffold compositions have been explored yet none have emerged as the universally accepted standard. In this review, we will discuss the recent literature regarding the use of stem cells, growth factors, and synthetic scaffolds as alternative methods of craniofacial fracture repair.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.
authors.forename: Brian Alan
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Fishero
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York.
authors.forename: Nikita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kohli
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Surgery Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.
authors.forename: Anusuya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.
authors.forename: John Jared
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Christophel
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.
authors.forename: Quanjun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Cui
keywords: bone regeneration; fracture; mandible defect; synthetic implant