Tapping basement membrane motifs: Oral junctional epithelium for surface-mediated soft tissue attachment to prevent failure of percutaneous devices.

Teeth, long-lasting percutaneous organs, feature soft tissue attachment through adhesive structures, hemidesmosomes, in the junctional epithelium basement membrane adjacent to teeth. This soft tissue attachment prevents bacterial infection of the tooth despite the rich - and harsh - microbial composition of the oral cavity. Conversely, millions of percutaneous devices (catheters, dental, and orthopedic implants) fail from infection yearly.

Keratinocyte-Specific Peptide-Based Surfaces for Hemidesmosome Upregulation and Prevention of Bacterial Colonization.

Percutaneous devices like orthopedic prosthetic implants for amputees, catheters, and dental implants suffer from high infection rates. A critical aspect mediating peri-implant infection of dental implants is the lack of a structural barrier between the soft tissue and the implant surface which could impede bacteria access and colonization of exposed implant surfaces. Parafunctional soft tissue regeneration around dental implants is marked by a lack of hemidesmosome formation and thereby weakened mechanical attachment.