Engineering Dental Tissues Using Biomaterials with Piezoelectric Effect: Current Progress and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Dental caries and traumatic injuries to teeth may cause irreversible inflammation and eventual death of the dental pulp. Nevertheless, predictably, repair and regeneration of the dentin-pulp complex remain a formidable challenge. In recent years, smart multifunctional materials with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and pro-regenerative properties have emerged as promising approaches to meet this critical clinical need. As a unique class of smart materials, piezoelectric materials have an unprecedented advantage over other stimuli-responsive materials due to their inherent capability to generate electric charges, which have been shown to facilitate both antimicrobial action and tissue regeneration. Nonetheless, studies on piezoelectric biomaterials in the repair and regeneration of the dentin-pulp complex remain limited. In this review, we summarize the biomedical applications of piezoelectric biomaterials in dental applications and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms contributing to the biological effect of piezoelectricity. Moreover, we highlight how this state-of-the-art can be further exploited in the future for dental tissue engineering.

Bioelectricity in dental medicine: a narrative review

“…These piezoelectric biomaterials usually have highly ordered crystal lattices. When subjected to mechanical-stress-induced deformation, a relative shift of the positive and negative charge center within the material crystal structure occurs, resulting in motion of an electric dipole or polarization [ 233 ]. In simpler term, these materials can convert the mechanical stress from physiological activities into the electric current.…”

Perspectives on recent advancements in energy harvesting, sensing and bio-medical applications of piezoelectric gels

“…[296][297][298] Moreover, hydrogels with piezoelectric properties provide significant advantages due to their outstanding mechanical-to-electrical response, regulation of blood flow, and stimulation of angiogenesis. 299,300 Very recently, Ning and coworkers developed a piezoelectric hydrogel based on PAAN-PVDF for PIs or PUs (Fig. 8a-h).…”

Piezoelectric-based bioactive zinc oxide-cellulose acetate electrospun mats for efficient wound healing: an in vitro insight

“…These EP further help to induce various steps of wound healing progression like proliferation and differentiation of fibroblasts, angiogenesis, collagen remodeling, etc. ( Figure 1B ) ( 17 ). For instance, a plethora of previous studies demonstrated that electric potential difference-derived electrical fields (EFs) generated from the piezo-potential to modulate skin cell behaviors ( 17 – 19 ).…”