Molecular Advances in Dental Pulp Tissue Engineering 2.0

Dear Colleagues,

Protected by the surrounding mineralized barriers, such as enamel, dentin and cementum, dental pulp is a functionally versatile tissue that fulfils various tasks. Besides the perception of thermal and mechanical stimuli as a warning system as well as the deposition of dentin, the pulp exerts a variety of immunological functions, in terms of both recognition and of defense. In young patients, a sound and functional dental pulp is indispensable for the completion of root development, and early pulp necrosis results in fracture-prone teeth with fragile root walls. Whether in young or adult patients, the loss of pulp tissue after caries or trauma requires therapeutic intervention by root canal treatment and filling with a synthetic material, which results in the loss of all its physiological functions.

In recent years, creative and multi-faceted attempts have been made to regenerate this valuable tissue using advanced molecular biology methods. Promising approaches based on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) have been developed for this purpose. These stem-cell-based or primarily cell-free procedures use specifically customized scaffold materials and biologically active molecules to achieve true regeneration of the dental pulp in terms of both its architecture and function. Several of these approaches are already taking requirements for clinical application into consideration.

This Special Issue aims to present the scientific progress in this field of research. The goal is to collect innovative studies in the field of stem cell biology, scaffold material development or molecular signaling that contribute to the transfer of this knowledge from the bench to the dental clinic.

More published papers could be found in the closed Special Issue: Molecular Advances in Dental Pulp Tissue Engineering.

Prof. Dr. Matthias Widbiller
Prof. Dr. Kerstin M. Galler
Guest Editors

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• tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM)
• pulp regeneration
• scaffold materials
• stem cells
• bioactive molecules
• dentin matrix proteins