The oral and maxillofacial region is closely related to eating, appearance, sensation, and other vital functions. The hard tissues, including bones and teeth, are the primary framework for the oral and maxillofacial structures. The importance of oral and maxillofacial hard tissues to life activities cannot be overstated. However, injuries to oral and maxillofacial hard tissues resulting from trauma, infections, and other factors are widespread; the frequency and severity of maxillofacial injuries are increasing, which may be related to the heavy reliance of people on road transportation and increasing socio-economic activities. Hard tissue injury repair is a dynamic, continuous, complex biological process tightly associated with aesthetics in the oral and maxillofacial area. However, the hard and soft tissues do not always self-heal under certain conditions, such as severe traffic accidents, diabetes, or severe burns. Hence, the exploration for intact oral and maxillofacial hard tissue regeneration has great potential for application.

To better accelerate oral and maxillofacial hard tissue repair to reduce the impact of injury on life quality, elucidating the biological mechanisms of post-injury tissue repair and developing high-performance biomaterials accordingly has become a hot topic at the forefront of tissue engineering research. Several tissue engineering strategies have already shown promise in facilitating tooth and maxillofacial bone repair, including but not limited to MOFs, hydrogels, 3D printing technology, bioceramics, etc.. However, there is still a long way to go from bench to bed, especially considering the complexity of oral and maxillofacial region. To realize this ambition, many studies have revealed key factors involved in hard tissue injury repair, such as BMPs, MMPs, VEGFs, etc., but more detailed mechanisms still need to be further clarified. This research topic aims to focus on a variety of advanced biomaterials and tissue engineering technologies and to present the current stage of research around the promotion of repair of oral and maxillofacial hard tissue injuries, to guide and serve the clinical work.

We welcome articles including original basic science research or original research, reviews, systematic reviews, opinions, perspectives, case reports, et al. Articles submitted to this research topic should contribute to, but are not limited to, the following topics:
1. Novel biomaterials that facilitate oral and maxillofacial hard tissue repair.
2. Biological processes that facilitate oral and maxillofacial hard tissue regeneration.
3. Microscopic mechanisms that are associated with biomaterials for oral and maxillofacial hard tissues.
4. Application of human cells to stimulate oral and maxillofacial hard tissue regeneration.
5. Advanced biotechnology or bioengineering techniques for the regeneration of oral and maxillofacial hard tissues.
6. Interface characterization between materials and hard tissues.

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Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

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