title: Progress in Bioengineered Whole Tooth Research: From Bench to Dental Patient Chair.
abstract: Tooth loss is a significant health issue that affects the physiological and social aspects of everyday life. Missing teeth impair simple tasks of chewing and speaking, and can also contribute to reduced self-confidence. An emerging and exciting area of regenerative medicine based dental research focuses on the formation of bioengineered whole tooth replacement therapies that can provide both the function and sensory responsiveness of natural teeth. This area of research aims to enhance the quality of dental and oral health for those suffering from tooth loss. Current approaches use a combination of dental progenitor cells, scaffolds and growth factors to create biologically based replacement teeth to serve as improved alternatives to currently used artificial dental prosthetics. This article is an overview of current progress, challenges, and future clinical applications of bioengineered whole teeth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School Medicine, Department of Orthodontics, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.
authors.forename: Elizabeth E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Director, Division of Craniofacial and Molecular Genetics, Professor, Department of Orthodontics, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Department of Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, M824, Boston MA 02111.
authors.forename: Pamela C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Yelick
keywords: Ameloblast; Cell Differentiation; Dentin; Odontoblasts; Odontogenesis; Tooth Loss