Conservative dentistry and tissue engineering

Tissue engineering is the science of design and manufacture of new tissues to replace impaired or damaged ones. The key ingredients for tissue engineering are stem cells, the morphogens or growth factors that regulate their differentiation, and a scaffold of extracellular matrix that constitutes the microenvironment for their growth. Recently, there has been increasing interest in applying the concept of tissue engineering to operative dentistry. This review is focused on the presentation and discussion of existing literature that covers the engineering of enamel, dentin and pulp, as well on the engineering of entire teeth. There are clearly major roadblocks to overcome before such strategies move to the clinic and are regularly to treat patients. However, existing evidence strongly suggests that the engineering of new dental structures to replace tissues lost during the process of caries or trauma will have a place in the future of operative dentistry