Ligaplants: The Next Generation of Dental Implants

Abstract

A tissue-engineered periodontal ligament (PDL) around implants can be used as an important tool for substituting the missing natural teeth. The PDL is the key to tooth anchoring as it connects tooth root and alveolar bone and it sustains bone formation. The most widely used implants in the current scenario are the osseointegrated implants with various shortcomings and the most prominent one lack periodontal ligament. The fields of tissue engineering and regenerative dentistry have undergone various advancements, yet its application to the field of implant dentistry is inadequate. The advent of periodontal tissue engineering has revolutionized field of prosthodontic implant dentistry. A crucial new therapeutic strategy for replacing lost teeth is the development of the periodontal ligament (PDL) attachment around dental implants. Numerous essential cells that are crucial to the dynamic connection between the tooth and bone are housed in the PDL. In order to enhance biological function and lengthen the life of the dental prosthesis, ligaplants are now a viable choice.