New technologies in oral reconstructive medicine: Consensus report of the AAP/OF/SEPA Workshop

The objectives of this Workshop were to evaluate the efficacy of scaffolding technologies for horizontal and vertical ridge augmentation; to evaluate the efficacy of substitute scaffolds for soft tissue augmentation in the context of implant therapy; to evaluate the efficacy of cells and/or biologics combined with scaffolds for alveolar bone regeneration; to evaluate the efficacy of cells and/or biologics combined with scaffolds for soft tissue regeneration in the context of implant therapy; and to evaluate emerging technologies and personalized strategies for improving hard and/or soft tissue defects around natural teeth and dental implants.

The Workshop discussions were informed by five specifically commissioned systematic reviews from the following three Working Groups: Working Group 1 - Use of scaffolds for bone and soft tissue regeneration; Working Group 2 - Use of cells and/or biologics combined with scaffolds for hard and soft tissue regeneration; and Working Group 3 - Current, emerging, and personalized approaches for periodontal and peri-implant tissue regeneration. The Workshop participants were informed by the compiled evidence from the five systematic reviews within each Working Group to address pertinent issues to inform clinical practice, research, and the public community.

The consensus among the Workshop group participants was that cellular therapies and biologics, alone and in combination with scaffolding technologies, offer strong potential in regenerating tissues around teeth and dental implants. There was variability in treatment outcomes depending on the overall evidence and the efficacy of these technologies, as well as on the specific defects and patient-based constraints. The consensus report detailed the results and implications of the findings, demonstrating the value of these technologies in improving clinical and patient-reported outcomes.

Current regenerative approaches lead to long-term stable outcomes at natural teeth as well as dental implant sites; novel technologies can benefit patients by enhancing longer-term stability of teeth and implants to promote the health of the oral cavity and dentition; and artificial intelligence-enabled modeling can contribute to the identification of relevant features at the individual (as opposed to population) level, empowering patients to be active participants in their journeys and improving science-to-public communication.