Graphene oxide as a promising material in dentistry and tissue regeneration: A review

Abstract

1. Abstract Current treatments for common dental diseases such as caries, periodontal diseases, tooth defects, missing teeth and bone defects cannot replenish dental tissue with artificial alternatives while maintaining the biological and mechanical properties of natural tissue. In recent years, in addition to existing conventional treatments, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have also been applied in this field to recover real tissue. Graphene oxide (GO) is considered to be a promising material in dentistry and related tissue regeneration due to its outstanding properties. In this review, we first describe the physicochemical properties of GO and then explain the biological properties that derive from the physiochemical properties, including biocompatibility, controlled release of medicine, antibacterial properties, osteogenic differentiation properties and odontogenic differentiation properties. We also highlight the potential applications of graphene oxide in dentistry and related tissue regeneration. For bacterial resistance in dentistry, GO has a wide range of applications. For reconstructing tooth defects, conventional dental materials such as resin and adhesives have been optimized with GO. To treat missing teeth, GO surface modification of dental implants is adopted to enhance not only the antibacterial properties but also osseointegration. To repair maxillofacial bone defects, GO can enhance the osteogenic properties of engineered tissue scaffolds through both surface and composite modifications. Some obstacles that inhibit the progression of this technology from the laboratory to the clinic have also been described.