Rigenera^® Autologous Micrografts in Oral Regeneration: Clinical, Histological, and Radiographical Evaluations

Abstract

Tissue engineering represents a novel approach that aims to exploit the use of biomaterials composed mainly of scaffolds, cells (or grafts), and growth factors capable of restoring a specific tissue. Biomaterials represent the future of dental and oral regeneration due to their biocompatibility and affinity with the receiving site. The aim of this review was to collect results and considerations about a new type of biomaterial based on the use of micrografts in combination with different scaffolds. Micrografts are tissue particles enriched with progenitor cells (PCs), which are defined as descendants of stem cells that can differentiate into specialized cells belonging to the same tissue. PCs in the oral cavity might be extracted from various tissues such as dental pulp, periosteum, or periodontal ligament. Moreover, these cells are easy to isolate through a mechanical process that allows for the filtration of cells with a diameter of 80 μm, in contrast with enzymatic procedures where reagents are used and various culture periods are needed. The aim of this review was to collect data regarding the use of micrografts, developed by a Rigenera® chair-side machine, in oral regeneration evaluating the clinical, histological, and radiographical outcomes. There have been encouraging results for the application of micrografts in bone and periodontal regeneration, but further randomized clinical trials are needed to validate this promising outcome.

Keywords

• micrografts
• oral regeneration
• Rigenera
• stem cells
• bone graft
• periodontal regeneration