Organ-on-a-chip in oral medicine: Emerging approaches and applications

Organ-on-a-chip (OoC), as a highly biomimetic microphysiological system, is demonstrating significant potential in oral medicine research and clinical application. This review outlines the latest advances and specific applications of OoC in the field, with a focus on its value in emulating the complex oral microenvironment, facilitating the development of materials and drugs, and advancing personalized medicine. Furthermore, it discusses how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) may contribute to the evolution of dentofacial OoCs.

A review of literature was conducted through online databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science.

Studies were selected based on relevance, with a preference for research from the last 5 years.

This review concludes that the dentofacial tissues and their functions can be simulated via OoCs, including dentin, dental pulp, periodontal tissue, oral mucosa, and salivary glands. They hold significant value in modeling oral disease, evaluating oral restorative materials, studying head and neck tumor metastasis, and screening drugs. Furthermore, the integration with AI will enable intelligent acquisition and analysis of high-throughput, real-time dynamic data within the chips, assisting in their design and optimization, and promoting precise control of the microenvironment.