Dental biomaterials-on-chip: A scoping review of dynamic material-tissue-biofilm models

The preclinical evaluation of dental biomaterials remains largely dependent on static in vitro assays that provide limited insight into dynamic material-tissue-biofilm interactions. Microfluidic lab-on-a-chip (LoC) and organ-on-a-chip (OoC) platforms can reproduce selected features of the oral microenvironment, including controlled transport, tissue barriers, three-dimensional cellular organization, microbial challenge, and time-resolved monitoring. This scoping review with structured narrative synthesis mapped peer-reviewed dental and oral microfluidic studies published through July 27, 2026. An initial search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, ScienceDirect, Embase, and IEEE Xplore was supplemented by an updated focused search, Google Scholar, and backward and forward citation tracking. Of 114 records identified, 82 remained after duplicate removal, 46 full-text reports were assessed, and 28 sources were included: 21 original experimental studies and seven dental/oral reviews. Original platforms comprised tooth and dentin-pulp models, oral mucosa and gingival barriers, periodontal and bone-vascular interfaces, dental pulp angiogenesis systems, peri-implant models, and dynamic host-microbe platforms. These systems enabled trans-barrier exposure, controlled flow and shear, long-term barrier monitoring, biomaterial cytotoxicity testing, inflammatory modeling, biofilm challenge, and regenerative assessment. Nevertheless, fluidic parameters, adsorption, oxygenation, comparator assays, and interlaboratory reproducibility were inconsistently reported. None of the included original dental studies used artificial intelligence for externally validated predictive inference. A conceptual Modular Dental Microfluidic Ecosystem Platform is presented as an evidence-informed future framework. Current dental chips should therefore be regarded as complementary mechanistic and qualification tools rather than replacements for standardized testing.