The current root-canal procedure involves removing infected dental tissues and replacing them with synthetic biomaterials covered by a protective crown. This process eliminates the tooth’s blood and nerve supply, making it lifeless and void of any biological response. Currently, lack of immediate vascularization of dental pulp is a major limitation for successful use of Dental pulp as an effective therapy for regeneration of tooth function following root canal therapy, especially in adults.
Bertassoni and colleagues from Oregon Health and Science University have demonstrated a novel strategy to engineer pre-vascularized, pulp like tissue constructs for dental pulp regeneration. The team used gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels with modifiable physical and mechanism properties to modulate the microenvironmental conditions (Microstructure, degradation, swelling and elastic modulus).…
