Scaffold-Free Strategies in Dental Pulp/Dentine Tissue Engineering: Current Status and Implications for Regenerative Biological Processes

Conventionally, root canal treatment is performed when the dental pulp is severely damaged or lost due to dental trauma or bacterial endodontic infections. This treatment involves removing the compromised or infected pulp tissue, disinfecting the root canal system, and sealing it with inert, non-deg...

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Main Authors: Mohammad Samiei, Martin Conrad Harmsen, Elaheh Dalir Abdolahinia, Jaleh Barar, Xenos Petridis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Bioengineering
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/12/2/198
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author Mohammad Samiei
Martin Conrad Harmsen
Elaheh Dalir Abdolahinia
Jaleh Barar
Xenos Petridis
author_facet Mohammad Samiei
Martin Conrad Harmsen
Elaheh Dalir Abdolahinia
Jaleh Barar
Xenos Petridis
author_sort Mohammad Samiei
collection DOAJ
description Conventionally, root canal treatment is performed when the dental pulp is severely damaged or lost due to dental trauma or bacterial endodontic infections. This treatment involves removing the compromised or infected pulp tissue, disinfecting the root canal system, and sealing it with inert, non-degradable materials. However, contemporary endodontic treatment has shifted from merely obturating the root canal system with inert materials to guiding endodontic tissue regeneration through biological approaches. The ultimate goal of regenerative endodontics is to restore dental pulp tissue with structural organization and functional characteristics akin to the native pulp, leveraging advancements in tissue engineering and biomaterial sciences. Dental pulp tissue engineering commonly employs scaffold-based strategies, utilizing biomaterials as initial platforms for cell and growth factor delivery, which subsequently act as scaffolds for cell proliferation, differentiation and maturation. However, cells possess an intrinsic capacity for self-organization into spheroids and can generate their own extracellular matrix, eliminating the need for external scaffolds. This self-assembling property presents a promising alternative for scaffold-free dental pulp engineering, addressing limitations associated with biomaterial-based approaches. This review provides a comprehensive overview of cell-based, self-assembling and scaffold-free approaches in dental pulp tissue engineering, highlighting their potential advantages and challenges in advancing regenerative endodontics.
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spelling doaj-art-ddea13b23f1f4659b9a3b4db7589dd472025-08-20T02:44:36ZengMDPI AGBioengineering2306-53542025-02-0112219810.3390/bioengineering12020198Scaffold-Free Strategies in Dental Pulp/Dentine Tissue Engineering: Current Status and Implications for Regenerative Biological ProcessesMohammad Samiei0Martin Conrad Harmsen1Elaheh Dalir Abdolahinia2Jaleh Barar3Xenos Petridis4Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Pathology and Medical Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Oral Science and Translation Research, College of Dental Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314, USADepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USADepartment of Endodontics, Section of Dental Pathology & Therapeutics, School of Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, GreeceConventionally, root canal treatment is performed when the dental pulp is severely damaged or lost due to dental trauma or bacterial endodontic infections. This treatment involves removing the compromised or infected pulp tissue, disinfecting the root canal system, and sealing it with inert, non-degradable materials. However, contemporary endodontic treatment has shifted from merely obturating the root canal system with inert materials to guiding endodontic tissue regeneration through biological approaches. The ultimate goal of regenerative endodontics is to restore dental pulp tissue with structural organization and functional characteristics akin to the native pulp, leveraging advancements in tissue engineering and biomaterial sciences. Dental pulp tissue engineering commonly employs scaffold-based strategies, utilizing biomaterials as initial platforms for cell and growth factor delivery, which subsequently act as scaffolds for cell proliferation, differentiation and maturation. However, cells possess an intrinsic capacity for self-organization into spheroids and can generate their own extracellular matrix, eliminating the need for external scaffolds. This self-assembling property presents a promising alternative for scaffold-free dental pulp engineering, addressing limitations associated with biomaterial-based approaches. This review provides a comprehensive overview of cell-based, self-assembling and scaffold-free approaches in dental pulp tissue engineering, highlighting their potential advantages and challenges in advancing regenerative endodontics.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/12/2/198cell spheroidsdental pulp stem cellsregenerative endodonticsscaffold-free tissue engineering
spellingShingle Mohammad Samiei
Martin Conrad Harmsen
Elaheh Dalir Abdolahinia
Jaleh Barar
Xenos Petridis
Scaffold-Free Strategies in Dental Pulp/Dentine Tissue Engineering: Current Status and Implications for Regenerative Biological Processes
Bioengineering
cell spheroids
dental pulp stem cells
regenerative endodontics
scaffold-free tissue engineering
title Scaffold-Free Strategies in Dental Pulp/Dentine Tissue Engineering: Current Status and Implications for Regenerative Biological Processes
title_full Scaffold-Free Strategies in Dental Pulp/Dentine Tissue Engineering: Current Status and Implications for Regenerative Biological Processes
title_fullStr Scaffold-Free Strategies in Dental Pulp/Dentine Tissue Engineering: Current Status and Implications for Regenerative Biological Processes
title_full_unstemmed Scaffold-Free Strategies in Dental Pulp/Dentine Tissue Engineering: Current Status and Implications for Regenerative Biological Processes
title_short Scaffold-Free Strategies in Dental Pulp/Dentine Tissue Engineering: Current Status and Implications for Regenerative Biological Processes
title_sort scaffold free strategies in dental pulp dentine tissue engineering current status and implications for regenerative biological processes
topic cell spheroids
dental pulp stem cells
regenerative endodontics
scaffold-free tissue engineering
url https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/12/2/198
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