Comments on the clinical application of fibronectin in dentistry

Several studies have demonstrated that citric acid demineralization of the root surface promotes tissue attachment. Since demineralization exposes collagen to which fibronectin binds, the role of fibronectin in the attachment of cells to the tooth surface has been of considerable interest. It is clear that fibronectin and other cell adhesion proteins can promote cell attachment to the tooth surface; therefore, attempts have been made to utilize these findings in a clinical setting. Using a quantitative ELISA procedure to measure the binding of fibronectin to demineralized bone and tooth, we have found that 1 microgram fibronectin can saturate approximately 1 mg of either demineralized bone or demineralized tooth powder. Since serum contains 300 micrograms fibronectin per mL, the bleeding that occurs during oral surgery should saturate exposed tooth surfaces with amounts of fibronectin adequate for cell adhesion. Thus, exogenous fibronectin would appear to be of little clinical benefit.