Natural Scaffold Materials Used in Regenerative Endodontic: A Review

Modern medical therapy believes restoration of full healing or recovery of complete organ function. The goal of inspired field of regenerative endodontic is to create an alternative to commonly used treatment modalities which achieved higher success rate of 97% in last one decade. Beside very small volume (similar to 10-100 mu l) regeneration of entire pulp is difficult task due to anatomical arrangement of pulp chamber, minimal collateral blood supply, and impaired ability of the immune system to combat infections. Scaffold is the key component of engineering dental pulp tissue which help to transplant stem cells or help to recruit endogenous stem cells. Continued advances in material science helps to design scaffold material using natural or synthetic polymers, extracellular matrix, self-assembling systems, hydrogels, or bioceramics with tailored properties which support the feasibility of pulp tissue engineering. In last two decades researchers relied on natural polymers, such as collagen, polyester, chitosan, or hydroxyapatite for pulp tissue engineering. Each biomaterial has its own pros and cons when they are used for tissue engineering of a complex tissue like pulp. This paper aims to review the natural scaffolds and the major scaffolding approaches used in regenerative dentistry to date as important guidelines for selecting scaffolds.