An Electrophoresis-Aided Biomineralization System for Regenerating Dentin- and Enamel-Like Microstructures for the Self-Healing of Tooth Defects

It is the challenging and desirable aim of biomineralization studies to regenerate tooth tissue microstructures and to accelerate the speed of available biomimetic remineralization protocols for potential use in clinical dentistry. In this study, we developed a novel electrophoresis-aided calcium and phosphate agarose hydrogel system that can be used to quickly regenerate tooth tissue microstructure. After remineralization for 12 h, a demineralized dentin collagen matrix was remineralized with intrafibrillar and interfibrillar hydroxyapatites that mimicked the structure of the original calcified dentin collagen matrix. The precipitated hydroxyapatites were densely packed, occluded the exposed dentinal tubules, and regularly and homogeneously distributed along the collagen fibrils in a “string-of-beads” structure within the dentin collagen matrix. Needle-like hydroxyapatite crystals were densely packed, with their c-axis parallel to one another, to form the enamel-like tissue that precipitated onto the remineralized dentin surface. This study provides a potential protocol for inducing the self-healing of dentin defects.