Clinical application of autogenous dentin as a bone graft material

Autogenous dentin is a promising biological material that can be used as a substitute for autologous bone. It has been used in postextraction site preservation, maxillary sinus floor elevation, and alveolar ridge augmentation. The clinical application methods of autologous dentin have showed great diversity without uniform standard. The present article reviewed the clinical application of autogenous dentin to provide new ideas for its future development. The literature review results show that dentin materials require several preparations before transplantation, among which the demineralization is a common chemical processing method. Demineralization can enhance the osteoconductive and osteoinductive properties of dentin, but the complex and time-consuming operation process has limited its application to a certain extent. Partial demineralization may be a more appropriate choice. During transplantation, the morphology of dentin depends on the condition of the bone defect and the surgical method. Granular materials with different diameters are convenient for filling irregular defects. Block materials are conducive to maintaining the space of the reconstruction site. Hollow frame materials are slightly more complicated to process but can combine the advantages of granular and block grafts. In addition to being used alone, dentin can also be transplanted in combination with multiple biological materials. Platelet-rich plasma combined with dentin materials has shown ideal results in clinical studies. Plaster of paris and calcium phosphate ceramics have also been combined with dentin materials in animal experiments. But since they have not been applied in humans, their clinical effects require further research.