Regeneration of periodontal tissues is one of the main goals of periodontal therapy. However, current treatment, including surgical approach, use of membrane to allow maturation of all periodontal tissues, or use of enamel matrix derivatives, presents limitations in their indications and outcomes leading to the development of new tissue engineering strategies. Several cytokines are considered as key molecules during periodontal destruction process. However, their role during each phase of periodontal wound healing remains unclear. Control and modulation of the inflammatory response and especially, release of cytokines or activation/inhibition in a time- and spatial-controlled manner may be a potential perspective for periodontal tissue engineering. The aim of this review was to summarize the specific role of several cytokines during periodontal wound healing and the potential therapeutic interest of inflammatory modulation for periodontal regeneration especially related to the expression sequence of cytokines.

The vitality of the pulp is fundamental to the functional life of the tooth. For this aim, active and living biomaterials are required to avoid the current drastic treatment, which is the removal of all the cellular and molecular content regardless of its regenerative potential. The regeneration of the pulp tissue is the dream of many generations of dental surgeons and will revolutionize clinical practices. Recently, the potential of the regenerative medicine field suggests that it would be possible to achieve such complex regeneration. Indeed, three crucial steps are needed: the control of infection and inflammation and the regeneration of lost pulp tissues. For regenerative medicine, in particular for dental pulp regeneration, the use of nano-structured biomaterials becomes decisive. Nano-designed materials allow the concentration of many different functions in a small volume, the increase in the quality of targeting, as well as the control of cost and delivery of active molecules. Nanomaterials based on extracellular mimetic nanostructure and functionalized with multi-active therapeutics appear essential to reverse infection and inflammation and concomitantly to orchestrate pulp cell colonization and differentiation. This novel generation of nanomaterials seems very promising to meet the challenge of the complex dental pulp regeneration.