Plant Products for Innovative Biomaterials in Dentistry

Abstract

Dental biomaterials and natural products represent two of the main growing research fields, revealing plant-derived compounds may play a role not only as nutraceuticals in affecting oral health, but also in improving physico-chemical properties of biomaterials used in dentistry. Therefore, our aim was to collect all available data concerning the utilization of plant polysaccharides, proteins and extracts rich in bioactive phytochemicals in enhancing performance of dental biomaterials. Although compelling evidences are suggestive of a great potential of plant products in promoting material-tissue/cell interface, to date, only few authors have investigated their use in development of innovative dental biomaterials. A small number of studies have reported plant extract-based titanium implant coatings and periodontal regenerative materials. To the best of our knowledge, this review is the first to deal with this topic, highlighting a general lack of research findings in an interesting field which still needs to be investigated.

Biomaterials, Current Strategies, and Novel Nano-Technological Approaches for Periodontal Regeneration

“…They can be applied as barrier membranes, hydrogels, and in combination with glass and ceramics. Natural polymers can mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the bone tissue and allow cell infiltration, proliferation, and new bone formation [146]. Natural polymers possess a few properties, including elasticity, hydrophilicity, biodegradability, moldability, and biocompatibility, which are very suitable for tissue engineering applications.…”

Potentials of Polyphenols in Bone-Implant Devices

“…Employ of scaffolds enriched with polyphenols is, thus, considered as a promising tool for bone regeneration bioengineering, as functionalization of scaffold surface with polyphenols increases the bone regeneration ability, compared to a scaffold alone [173,174]. Biodegradable soybean-based biomaterials (SBs), in a granulated form, have been employed as bone filler, in vitro, to investigate the biological properties for bone applications.…”

Aqueous‐Phased Electrospun Bioactive Glass Mineralized Gelatin‐Pectin Hybrid Composite Fiber Matrix For 7‐Dehydrocholesterol Delivery

“…Gelatin based electrospun fibers are making advances in the medical community for their therapeutic importance . To improve the mechanical property of gelatin, a blend with pectin is required owing to its importance in bone regenerative medicine . Recently, pectin ‐ a plant‐derived diet has gained the attention of the medical community owing to its health‐promoting ability such as anti‐inflammatory property and anti‐cancer ability by inducing apoptosis in cancer cells .…”