Tissue-engineered ligament: implant constructs for tooth replacement.

Aim: A tissue-engineered periodontal ligament (PDL) around implants would represent an important new therapeutic tool to replace lost teeth. The PDL is the key to tooth anchoring; it connects tooth root and alveolar bone, and it sustains bone formation.

Materials And Methods: Cells were isolated from PDL and cultured in a bioreactor on titanium pins. After the formation of multiple cellular layers, pins were implanted in enlarged dental alveolae.

Main Outcome Measures: Cell-covered implants integrated without adverse effects, and induced bone in their vicinity.

Results: A histological examination of a dog model revealed that cells were arranged in a typical ligament-like fashion. In human patients, product safety was ascertained for 6-60 months. Probing and motility assessments suggested that the implants were well integrated with mechanical properties similar to those of teeth. Radiographs demonstrated the regeneration of deficient alveolar bone, the development of a lamina dura adjacent to a mineral-devoid space around the implant and implant migration in an intact bone structure.

Conclusions: New tissue consistent with PDL developed on the surface of dental implants after implantation. This proof-of-principal investigation demonstrates the application of ligament-anchored implants, which have potential advantages over osseointegrated oral implants.