Tissue engineering's impact on dentistry.

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 field has developed due to the inadequate supply of organs and tissues for patients requiring organ and tissue replacement. The following review first describes three major tissue engineering strategies. Although similar in their objectives, these strategies each maintain a unique component. Next, several examples of preclinical and clinical progress engineering oral-maxillofacial tissues are presented. Each of these examples highlights specific tissue engineering applications to different tissues of the oral-maxillofacial apparatus. Finally, practical implications are addressed as well as challenges that must be met in order for tissue engineering to reach its full potential.