Biological solutions for the repair and regeneration of the dental tissues offer significant potential for improved clinical treatment outcomes. Translation of dental tissue-engineering approaches to the clinic will make considerable contributions to these outcomes in the future, but exploiting the natural regenerative potential of dentin-pulp to enhance wound-healing responses offers solutions for maintaining pulp vitality now. Strategies to harness the natural regenerative potential of the pulp must be based on a sound biological understanding of the cellular and molecular events taking place, and require careful consideration of the interplay of infection, inflammation, and regeneration.
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