Therapeutic ultrasound applications in craniofacial growth, healing and tissue engineering

Previous reports have shown that therapeutic ultrasound enhances healing of fractured bone as well as cut tendons. Moreover, it has been shown that therapeutic ultrasound enhances bone formation during distraction osteogenesis that is also known as Ilizarove technique. It has been recently reported that therapeutic ultrasound enhances tooth formation and eruption during mandible distraction osteogenesis in rabbits. This enhanced tooth formation and eruption was caused by new dental tissue formation, known as dentin and cementum. This led to a clinical trial in human that showed that therapeutic ultrasound can enhance repairing tooth root resorption caused by orthodontic treatment. This discovery can lead to many applications of ultrasound in the dental as well as in the craniofacial reconstructions. This paper provides an overview of the molecular basis of the achieved clinical results. Moreover, potential future application will be elaborated.