Tissue engineering- An art and science of regeneration.

Tissue engineering is a novel and exciting field that aims to re-create functional, healthy tissues and organs in order to replace diseased, dying, or dead tissues. The association of biomaterials, stem cells, growth and differentiation factors has yielded the development of new treatment opportunities in the field of dentistry. The objective of using tissue engineering as therapeutic application has been to harness its ability to exploit selected and primed cells together with an appropriate mix of regulatory factors, to allow growth and specialization of cells and matrix. Tissue engineering in periodontology applies the principles of engineering and life sciences toward the development of biological techniques that can restore lost alveolar bone, periodontal ligament, and root cementum. This review article focuses on the basics about tissue engineering, its principles and strategies and how these principles can be applied in periodontics to provide us with successful results.

Plant products in dental and periodontal disease: An overview.

Dental diseases if left unchecked can lead to major health problems, on the other side periodontal diseases are recognized as a major public health problem throughout the world and is the most common cause of tooth loss in adults. Plant products are recently introduced herbal formulations that are more beneficial than the conventional therapies. There are number of traditional herbal remedies for the treatment and management of diseases related to teeth, gum and oral hygiene. The aim of this review is to present a brief overview of the various herbal formulations and their application in prevention, treatment and maintenance of oral health.

Two-step procedure for root coverage using a free gingival graft and a subepthelial connective tissue graft.

Gingival recession is a multifaceted problem, for which several treatment options are available. Both epithelized and subepithelial connective tissue grafts offer predictable solutions for the treatment of gingival recession.The case report involved a 30-year-old man with gingival recession of 8 mm on 41 (Miller's class II recession). Before surgery, full mouth scaling and polishing were performed. Recession height, width, probing depth, clinical attachment level (CAL), and width of the attached gingiva (WAG) were measured at the baseline, two months postoperatively, and six months postoperatively. Four weeks after scaling, the first step of increasing the width of the attached gingiva was carried out, using a free gingival graft. Two months after this step, the subepithelial connective tissue was harvested from the palate and placed in relation to 41, to cover the residual defect.Two months postoperatively, there was a 3 mm gain in WAG and 35% root coverage. Six months postoperatively there was a significant increase in WAG, CAL; and reduction in height and width of recession (root coverage achieved was 75%). These results suggested that this two-stage surgical procedure could be successful for root coverage in case of deep recession and lack of attached gingiva in the mandibular anterior region.