Recent advances in materials for periodontal regeneration

Periodontal disease is a multifactorial disease resulting into pocket formation, recession, and bone loss. The ultimate goal of periodontal therapy is to halt the progression of periodontal disease and the regeneration of lost periodontal-supporting tissues. Periodontal regeneration by definition involves regeneration of cementum, alveolar bone, and periodontal ligament. Conventional surgical approaches such as open flap debridement have been found efficient in the establishment of improved periodontal form and architecture but have limited potential in restoring lost periodontal tissues. The ultimate aim of use of guided-tissue regeneration membranes and bone grafts is to achieve periodontal regeneration but instead of regeneration, bone fill is achieved in most of the cases. This has resulted in the development of different techniques, materials, and approaches for periodontal regeneration. These include modalities such as tissue engineering, use of stem cell, use of growth factors, scaffolds, gene therapy, and lasers. Many among these modalities have shown promising results in periodontal regeneration, but some are still under research and development.