Tissue engineering: the biologic modifiers in periodontal regeneration

Teeth and the periodontal tissues represent a highly specialized functional system. When periodontal disease occurs, the periodontal complex, composed of alveolar bone, root cementum, periodontal ligament, and gingiva, can be lost. Periodontal regenerative medicine aims at recovering damaged periodontal tissues and their functions by different means, including the interaction of bioactive molecules, cells, and scaffolds. The application of growth factors, in particular, into periodontal defects has shown encouraging effects, driving the wound healing toward the full, multi-tissue periodontal regeneration, in a precise temporal and spatial order. The present comprehensive review aims to update the state of the art concerning tissue engineering in periodontal regeneration, focusing on biological mediators and gene therapy.