Collagen: A periodontium saviour

Collagen is a fibrillar protein that conforms the conjunctive and connective tissues in the human body, essentially skin, joints, and bones. It is one of the most abundant molecule in many of the living organisms due to its connective role in biological structure. It is a highly versatile material, extensively used in the medical, dental, and pharmacological fields. Collagen is capable of being prepared into cross-linked compacted solids or into lattice-like gels. The collagen family consists of at least 30 different genes, which produce 19 known types of collagen. All collagens contain greater or lesser stretches of triple helix. Some of the superior properties of collagen-based biomaterials, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, mechanical properties, and cell activities, are pinpointed. These properties make collagen applicable in biomedicine, such as wound healing, tissue engineering, surface coating of medical devices, and skin supplementation. The purpose of this article is to review the available literature on collagen with special emphasis on its role in development and maintenance of oral tissues. Also it reviews the types of collagen, it’s structure, sources, role in maintaining periodontal tissues and uses in dentistry.