Tissue engineering in temporomandibular joint reconstruction

Abstract

The demand for a TMJ disc replacement continues to represent a major challenge today. The great difficulty continues to be to develop a biomaterial that has the biomechanical and biochemical properties to represent a viable alternative. The TE field has actively contributed to the possibility of bringing new outcomes to the search for a new and long-lasting tissue that effectively substitutes/regenerates the TMJ disc. Studies should take in consideration the native properties of the disc, such as mechanical, physical, and biological. A stan- dardization of studies in large animals such as sheep and pigs should be also applied. Although it has not yet been possible to achieve an ideal biomaterial, the work developed in recent years makes it possible that this goal is closer.