Tissue engineering for periodontal regeneration was topic of latest EFP Perio Sessions

ON THURSDAY 4 June, Danae Apatzidou, assistant professor of periodontology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, gave the seventh live webinar in the EFP Perio Sessions series on A tissue-engineered biocomplex for clinical periodontal regeneration.

Dr Apatzidou showed how the combination of tissue engineering by means of autologous alveolar-bone mesenchymal stem cells, platelet concentrates, and collagen scaffolds with advanced surgical techniques constitutes a promising treatment approach in periodontal regeneration.

This webinar – aimed at general dentists, periodontal specialists, and oral surgeons – explored describe novel surgical techniques and the preparation of a tissue-engineered construct (biocomplex) tailored for chairside clinical application in periodontal regeneration.

The webinar, which was moderated by EFP secretary general Nicola West, was watched by periodontists and other dental professionals in 37 countries, mostly in Europe but with South America and Asia also well represented.

“You very clearly demonstrated different outcomes with different surgery types and some very impressive results with some teeth with very poor prognosis,” said Nicola West at the end of Dr Apatzidou’s presentation.

Topics covered in the following question-and-answer session included several about the costs and benefits of stem cells for tissue regeneration and whether they will ever become part of commercial clinical use or will remain only in institutions and research.

Danae Apatzidou insisted that commercial use was possible, and that stem-cell therapy can be made more “operator friendly”, but costs would have to come down significantly. She emphasised that, compared with conventional regeneration techniques, stem cells might not be suitable for routine defects but could play an important role in more advanced lesions.

Next Perio Sessions

The next two EFP Perio Sessions live webinars, the eighth and ninth in the series, will take place on 18 June and 25 June at 19:00 (CET).

Perio Sessions No. 8 (18 June): Andy Temmerman (Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium) on The use of leukocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin in perio and implant dentistry (moderator: Monique Danser). You can register here.

Perio Sessions No. 9 (25 June): Johan Wölber (University Clinic Freiburg, Germany) on The role of diet in preventing and treating periodontal diseases (moderator: Spyridon Vassilopoulos). You can register here.

PERIO SESSIONS PLAYLIST