Advances in 3D Bioprinting of Scaffolds for Dental Tissue Engineering and Regeneration

Restoration and functional reconstruction of teeth and dentition defects due to trauma, bacterial infections, craniofacial tumors, and developmental disorders pose major clinical challenges. Dental tissue regeneration engineering has great therapeutic potential for restoring the performance of natural teeth. 3D bioprinting technology enables control over architectural structures at multiple length scales and is extensively employed to process dental tissue regeneration scaffolds. 3D-printed scaffolds provide precise control over the pore size, shape, and connectivity of the scaffolds, creating complex structures with multiple levels of pore space. In addition, they allow the layered distribution of multiple biomaterials to promote the synergistic regeneration of various tissues. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of advances in printed scaffolds for dental tissue regeneration. It first covers dental tissue physiology, including tissue structure and self-defense processes, together with the progress of clinical repair materials, followed by a description of common 3D bioprinting methods, an overview of the properties of dental tissue engineering scaffolds, and details of 3D bioprinting applications for dental tissue regeneration. Finally, the review highlights the existing challenges in the development and clinical implementation of scaffolds, with the aim of stimulating innovative ideas and encouraging further developments in regenerative medicine.