Challenges in vitamin D measurement and its role on bone regeneration

Vitamin D plays a crucial role in calcium homeostasis and is significantly involved in the maintenance of a strong mineralized skeleton, healthy teeth, and bone regeneration. Apart of this main function, the scientific evidence of vitamin D involvement in numerous physiological and pathological processes has been growing, linking deficiencies to systematic diseases, autoimmune diseases, and various infections. Over the last years, it has been made clear that modern lifestyle has been the major contributor to vitamin D deficiency globally and the extended awareness has led to an significant increase in vitamin D levels testing. There is a wide range of available testing methodologies, posing different limitations, such as cross-reactivity, low detection capacity, limited throughput, requirement of highly competent staff. Those result from not only due to assay limitations but also due to the complexity of vitamin D metabolisms and catabolism. With liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) still considered the gold standard to vitamin D blood level detection, novel point-of-care technologies emerge aiming to bypass the strong monitored variability between assays. The aim of this review is to discuss the crucial limitations of vitamin D measuring assays regarding accuracy and the important issues to consider when interpreting vitamin D results in the dental office

THE IMPACT OF IMPLANTED BIOMATERIAL TO THE MICROBIOME: Does technology change human or we change technology?

Contemporary medicine is unimaginabile without biotechnological involvment in diagnostic and therapeutic purpouses, but sometimes the discovery and application of new materials go faster then the understanding and adoption of the knowledge about the consequences for our organism. Understanding of biological processes at the microscopycal and molecular level would lead to better integration of biomaterial with human body environment. The primary aim of this review was to evaluate the potential microbiological effect after biomaterial and implant insertions to oral microbiota. The secundary aim was to evaluate if such microbiological shift has any effect to surgical wound-healing, post-implant tissue reaction or rejection of implanted biomaterial. The third aim was to question previous results of similar reviews and studies regarding microbiological role in improving therapeutic responses after biomaterial implantation in dental medicine. A comprehensive systematic search via Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed databases was conducted. The data synthesis showed similar results among clinical studies and several reviews with ambiguous conclusions leaving numerous questions without straight answers. We hypothesized that relationship between host microbiome and biomaterial insertion is mutual, but within the limitations of this review, the interaction between host-oral microbiota and material inset remains uncharted territory

Immediate implant placement by using natural bovine bone substitute with hyaluronate

Sufficient bone volume is important to allow proper implants osseointegration. The aim of this case report was to observe an immediate implant placement by using xenograft granules with hyaluronate and without any membrane coverage. The augmentation areas were assessed 3 months later during final crown installation and after 1 year and 6 months of implant loading. Satisfactory implant stability, granules osteointegration into newly formed bone, as well as stable soft tissue supported by the granules were observed

Immediate implant placement by using natural bovine bone substitute and acellular collagen matrix

Adequate bone and soft tissue volume is important to allow proper implants osseointegration, survival and esthetic result. The aim of this case report was to observe an immediate implant placement by using natural bovine bone substitute and acellular collagen matrix to gain better soft tissue result. Upon screw-retained provisional bridge removal after four months, a successful peri-implant soft tissue healing was observed. Then one year after final bridge, a stable soft and hard tissue situation, as well as sufficient implant stability, granules osteointegration into newly formed bone was recorded

Immediate implant placement using xenograft with hyaluronate and collagen fleece

The bone contour maintenance after immediate implant placement can be quite challenging. The aim of this clinical case series was to evaluate the performance of xenograft granules in combination with hyaluronate and collagen fleece due immediate implant placement. All five patients have been analyzed after 5-6 months and satisfactory implant stability, aesthetics, and function were achieved. Such treatment can provide predictable patients outcome

Combination of autologous bone, xenograft with hyaluronate and Plasma Rich in Growth Factors in horizontal bone augmentation and sinus lift

Sufficient bone volume is important to allow proper implants installation and survival. The aim of this case report was to observe a combination of autologous bone, xenograft with hyaluronate and Plasma Rich in Growth Factors in horizontal bone augmentation and sinus lift. Upon re-entry after 8 months, a stable new bone volume was recorded, and implants were successful installed. Then 4 months later, sufficient implants stability, bone volume and xenograft granules osteointegration into newly formed bone was recorded

Hybrid hydrogels for bioink development and potential use in dental tissue engineering

One of the emerging problems in medicine and dentistry today is how to replace and regenerate damaged tissue. Currently used implants are inert and need to be replaced after a certain period. Therefore, the aim is to develop a bioactive multicomponent material that can promote tissue regeneration. Hydrogels are the focus of research in this field because of their similarity to the natural extracellular matrix and their good biocompatibility. Nevertheless, hydrogels often have insufficient mechanical properties for handling and implantation. Therefore, methods of hydrogel reinforcement are developed by adding at least one phase to obtain hybrid hydrogels. There are various methods to reinforce hydrogels, such as functionalization, interpenetrating networks, nanogels, nano-engineered ionic covalent entanglement, etc. The obtained hybrid hydrogel can be used to develop a bioink, a biocompatible and biodegradable material mixed with cells that has suitable properties for 3D bioprinting. The 3D bioprinting method is used to obtain scaffolds of the desired shape and size. Hybrid hydrogel-based 3D printed scaffolds have shown great potential in biological assessment to promote the regeneration of a variety of tissues

Socket preservation, sinus lift and lateral augmentation by using natural bovine bone substitute with hyaluronate

It is very important to have sufficient bone volume that allows proper implants osseointegration. The aim of this case report was to observe a socket preservation and sinus lift with lateral augmentation by using xenograft granules with hyaluronate and pericardium collagen membrane. The sufficient granules osteointegration into newly formed bone after six months enabled proper implants placement due obvious bone volume increase. The implants were completely integrated into the regenerated bone after four months and then were loaded. The use of xenograft granules with hyaluronate led to successful treatment in combination with pericardium collagen membrane in socket preservation and sinus lift with lateral augmentation

Alveolar ridge augmentation by open healing with high-density polytetrafluoroethylene membrane

Non resorbable polytetrafluoroethylene membranes find great use in everyday oral surgery treatments. We aimed to verify the performance of high-density polytetrafluoroethylene (hdPTFE) membrane in open healing after alveolar ridge augmentation at two patients. For that reason, we raised full thickness flap and grafted with different xenograft granules that were covered with resorbable collagen membrane. Then the grafted area was covered with high-density polytetrafluoroethylene membrane (permamem®) and stabilized with sutures by leaving it partially exposed. Six weeks after open healing, the permamem® was removed and successful post-operative healing with no complications were observed. The newly formed soft tissue grew under the membrane and completely covered the new alveolar ridge volume. There were no signs of dehiscence or infection, and the patients had no pain or discomfort, neither after suture nor the membrane removal. Also, there were no visible signs of bacterial plaque on the membrane after its placement and during removal. After eight months implants were successfully installed, and full mouth prosthetic reconstruction was following the osseointegration. In conclusion, the high-density polytetrafluoroethylene membrane efficiently supported open healing and led to successful alveolar ridge augmentation

The performance of hydroxyapatite-sugar cross linked collagen matrix during immediate single-tooth implant placement in the aesthetic zone

The immediate single-tooth implant placement in the aesthetic zone represents a clinical challenge for preserving the bone contour. Aim of this clinical case was to observe the effect of grafting the buccal bone gap during immediate implant placement. The buccal bone gap was filled with a new hydroxyapatite-sugar cross linked collagen matrix to preserve the mucosal contour. At re-entry surgery, partial preservation of the buccal bone wall was observed after 6 months of healing and stable peri-implant bone was present. Such treatment during immediate single-tooth implant placement in the aesthetic zone may provide buccal contour stability