Electrospun Fibers for Dental and Craniofacial Applications

Abstract

Electrospinning has been employed extensively in tissue engineering to generate nanofibrous scaffolds from either natural or synthetic biodegradable polymers. Three-dimensional electrospun scaffolds can create a multi-scale environment capable of facilitating cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. One such multi-scale scaffold incorporates nanofibrous features to mimic the extracellular matrix along with a porous network for the regeneration of a variety of tissues. This review will discuss nanofibrous scaffolds and their tissue-engineering applications in bone, cartilage, periodontium, tooth, and incorporated drug delivery systems. Combination with other technologies, electrospun scaffolds can contribute to the field of craniofacial regeneration and advance technology for tissue-engineered replacements in many physiological systems in near future.

Nanomaterials for Tissue Engineering In Dentistry

“…Commonly used CaPs are monocalcium phosphate monohydrate, monocalcium phosphate anhydrous, dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, dicalcium phosphate anhydrous, octacalcium phosphate, b-tricalcium phosphate (TCP), amorphous CaP (ACP), calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite, and hydroxyapatite [97]; all of these are usually used in a mixed fashion to form cements (CPCs) usable as self-setting synthetic bone graft materials [98,99,100,101,102,103]. While most of the natural polymers are used mainly in soft matrices, there are different synthetic polymers usable to constitute rigid scaffolds, like polyhydroxylacids, poly-hydroxyalkenoates (PHAs), poly-hydroxybutyrates, and poly-propylene fumarates [104]. …”

“…Nanospheres are material-encapsulating polymer matrices used for slow and prolonged release of signaling molecules or drugs [90,123]: low-molecular-weight polymers form porous microspheres that release drugs slowly [90]. Electrospinning is considered to be the most viable methodology for the generation of scaffolds with varying compositions, according to the target tissues, and with a nanofibrous morphology [104]. Nanotubes, compared to nanosphere nanocarriers, provide larger inner volumes for filling desired chemicals or biochemical species and offers distinct inner and outer surfaces that can be differentially functionalized [124,125].…”

“…Many methods have been developed to shape scaffolds for tissue-engineering applications and the conventional techniques include emulsion freeze-drying, phase separation, gel casting, precipitation, and solvent casting/salt leaching [104]. However, currently only three techniques can generate the nanoscale features suitable to nanoscaffold training: electrospinning, self-assembly, and phase separation [126].…”

“…They can also be used in injection applications in vivo, because the process can occur after injection. However, self-assembled hydrogels can have poor mechanical strength and are susceptible to uncontrolled enzymatic degradation [104,126]. …”

“…Currently, the two most followed routes for the regeneration of the entire tooth can be identified in: scaffold-based tooth regeneration and simulation of the embryonic development of natural teeth [104,182]. …”