Three‐dimensional printing biotechnology for the regeneration of the tooth and tooth‐supporting tissues

Abstract

The tooth and its supporting tissues are organized with complex three-dimensional (3D) architecture, including the dental pulp with a blood supply and nerve tissues, complex multilayer periodontium, and highly aligned periodontal ligament (PDL).Mimicking such 3D complexity and the multicellular interactions naturally existing in dental structures represents great challenges in dental regeneration. Attempts to construct the complex system of the tooth and tooth-supporting apparatus (i.e., the PDL, alveolar bone, and cementum) have made certain progress owing to 3D printing biotechnology. Recent advances have enabled the 3D printing of biocompatible materials, seed cells, and supporting components into complex 3D functional living tissue. Furthermore, 3D bioprinting is driving major innovations in regenerative medicine, giving the field of regenerative dentistry a boost. The fabrication of scaffolds via 3D printing is already being performed extensively at the laboratory bench and in clinical trials; however, printing living cells and matrix materials together to produce tissue constructs by 3D bioprinting remains limited to the regeneration of dental pulp and the tooth germ. This review summarizes the application of scaffolds for cell seeding and biofabricated tissues via 3D printing and bioprinting, respectively, in the tooth and its supporting tissues. Additionally, the key advantages and prospects of 3D bioprinting in regenerative dentistry are highlighted, providing new ideas for dental regeneration. K E Y W O R D S

Current Trends in In Vitro Modeling to Mimic Cellular Crosstalk in Periodontal Tissue

“…[116] Thus, bioprinting is of interest for 3D in vitro models mimicking periodontal tissue and to investigate its remodeling capacity. [117] The number of papers using bioprinting for PDL in vitro modeling is very limited. However, we can learn how to design suitable in vitro models for investigation of the alveolar bone crosstalk in periodontal tissue from published studies that deal with other bioprinted tissue replicas.…”

The Applications of 3D Printing for Craniofacial Tissue Engineering

“…For example, researchers could print odontoblastoid cells along the dentin walls while having fibroblasts towards the center of the pulp chamber [69]. Furthermore, the enhanced precision gained from 3D bioprinting would allow researchers to achieve specific cellular interactions, anisotropic mechanical properties, and desired distribution of growth factors [70]. While theoretically the use of 3D cell printing in pulp tissue regeneration sounds feasible, there is a lack of evidence for this to date.…”

Oral Bone Tissue Engineering: Advanced Biomaterials for Cell Adhesion, Proliferation and Differentiation

“…Because of the complexity and the multicellular interaction, the challenges in this area are great. Recently, progress has been made in 3D printing of biocompatible materials, seed cells, and supporting components into complex 3D functional living tissue, but, for now, 3D bioprinting remains limited to the regeneration of dental pulp and the tooth germ [116].…”