Bone Tissue Engineering in the Maxillofacial Region: The State-of-the-Art Practice and Future Prospects

Bone reconstruction in the maxillofacial region is a challenging task due to the exclusive anatomical complexity of the tissue, aesthetic requirements and functional demands. The gold standard method for maxillofacial reconstruction is based on autogenous bone grafting, which is associated with certain drawbacks. In this review, we describe recent bone tissue engineering approaches in reconstructive surgery of the maxillofacial region. Proper cell sources, scaffolds, signaling molecules as well as recent bioreactor technology are discussed.