Evaluation of Poly(Lactic-co-glycolic) Acid Alone or in Combination with Hydroxyapatite on Human-Periosteal Cells Bone Differentiation and in Sinus Lift Treatment

Most recent advances in tissue engineering in the fields of oral surgery and dentistry
have aimed to restore hard and soft tissues. Further improvement of these therapies may
involve more biological approaches and the use of dental tissue stem cells in combination with
inorganic/organic scaffolds. In this study, we analyzed the osteoconductivity of two different
inorganic scaffolds based on poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid alone (PLGA-Fisiograft) or in combination
with hydroxyapatite (PLGA/HA-Alos) in comparison with an organic material based on equine
collagen (PARASORB Sombrero) both in vitro and in vivo. We developed a simple in vitro model
in which periosteum-derived stem cells were grown in contact with chips of these scaffolds to
mimic bone mineralization. The viability of cells and material osteoconductivity were evaluated by
osteogenic gene expression and histological analyses at different time points. In addition, the capacity
of scaffolds to improve bone healing in sinus lift was examined. Our results demonstrated that the
osteoconductivity of PLGA/HA-Alos and the efficacy of scaffolds in promoting bone healing in the
sinus lift were increased. Thus, new clinical approaches in sinus lift follow-up should be considered
to elucidate the clinical potential of these two PLGA-based materials in dentistry.