Oral Implantology

Oral Implantology
 

The Oral Implantology Group is an associated DBM research group located at the UZB (University Center for Dental Medicine Basel).

The Oral Implantology lab mainly follows two lines of research: In a tissue engineering-based approach, Géraldine Guex and her team develop three dimensional scaffolds by electrospinning to provide a suitable environment for progenitor or stromal cells to undergo osteogenesis. The aim is to address both architectural as well as biochemical properties of these fibres to synergistically steer differentiation. In close collaboration with dentists at UZB, human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSC) are isolated from extracted teeth, characterised, and ultimately cultured on the developed scaffolds. As a long-term goal, Géraldine Guex aims to leverage the regenerative potential of hDPSC to replace diseased or lost bone tissue in the oral cavity.

In a second line of research, the Oral Implantology lab investigates the response of soft tissue (gingiva) or hard tissue (bone) to dental implant materials. In a most recently started project, the correlation between macrophage response to architecturally and chemically distinct dental implant materials, and subsequent bone remodelling is addressed in in vitro models. In other ongoing projects, the group looks at adhesion, proliferation or differentiation, respectively, of fibroblasts, epithelial cells, or osteogenic progenitors on dental materials with distinct surface functionalisation.

Find out more: UZB