Craniofacial bioengineering and mathematical modeling

Stem cell-based regenerative approaches have started to develop in almost all medical disciplines, including dentistry. However, cell therapies are just at their beginning and therefore a lot of parameters that will allow their success in clinics are still unknown. A variety of factors such as the size of the lesion, health status of the surrounding tissues, as well as the origin of stem cells and their delivery methods are likely to impact on the therapeutic success. Other emerging technologies such as nanotechnology, imaging systems and mathematical modeling may help for obtaining faster, reliable advancements and outcomes in dental clinics. Modeling offers the possibility to better characterize the molecular, cellular, biochemical and mechanical properties of a given tissue. A variety of dental stem cell populations process significant variability in potency. There is still a need for understanding the mechanisms that control their fates and functions after their transplantation into the pathological or injured dental pulp and/or periodontal tissues. Mathematical models based on existing information consisting on stem cell markers, expression of molecules, tissue composition, hardness and structure, could greatly help in predicting migration, fate and differentiation of stem cells after their injection at the injured site. This will facilitate and accelerate the translation of basic and preclinical stem cell research to the dental clinics.

The present Research Topic will focus on the use of interdisciplinary expertise from the fields of stem cell biology, imaging and mathematical modeling for improving regenerative treatments in all dental disciplines. Authors working in the fields of tissue engineering, mathematical and computational modeling, biomechanics, stem cell biology and bioengineered constructs will discuss outcomes and modern and innovative techniques for repair and regeneration of dental and orofacial structures.