Osterix combined with gene-activated matrix: A potential integrated strategy for achieving cementum regeneration

Human periodontitis is the most common infectious disease that results in the destruction of periodontal supporting tissues including the root cementum. Currently cementum regeneration, as a vital event, is considered as a gold standard of successful periodontal tissue reconstruction. Nevertheless, one of the important requirements of cementum reestablishment is the recruitment and differentiation of pre-cementoblasts into functional cementoblasts, which requires effective regulator factors. Recently, Osterix (Osx) is known to be a key transcriptional factor essential for osteogenesis and especially for cementogenesis. Although there are various interesting approaches involving tissue engineering, gene-activated matrix (GAM) is one of the most promising approaches to achieve reliable restoration of the periodontium. The Hypothesis: Based on the recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of Osx in cementum development and formation, we hypothesize that Osx plays a critical role in periodontal regeneration and Osx combined with GAM may be an effective strategy for the regeneration of cementum. Evaluation of the Hypothesis: Osx combined with GAM could pave the way for the development of new tissue engineering procedures and have the potential to play a pivotal role in cementum regeneration, eventually increasing the predictability of periodontal tissue regeneration.