Growth factors in periodontal regeneration.

Periodontal tissue repair and regeneration are regulated by the local production of growth factors. However, naturally produced growth factors may not be sufficient to optimally stimulate periodontal regeneration. Exogenous growth factors can be used to supplement natural growth factors in wound healing. The authors focus on describing the mechanisms of five growth factors in periodontal regeneration: platelet-derived growth factor; fibroblast growth factor; transforming growth factor-beta; insulinlike growth factor; and bone morphogenetic protein. The objective is to encourage strategies to exploit growth factors in the stimulation of cells in periodontal regeneration, which should result from continued in vivo animal studies.