Functional Salivary Gland Regenerative Therapy for Oral Health

Abstract

Salivary glands maintain oral health and homeostasis via functional interactions with many organs, including the teeth and the tongue. Dysfunction of salivary glands causes many problems, such as dental caries, bacterial infection, and swallowing dysfunction. Current regenerative therapy for salivary gland tissue repair and whole salivary gland replacement is currently a novel therapeutic concept that may result in full recovery of salivary gland function. The salivary glands arise from reciprocal epithelial and mesenchymal interactions. We developed a novel three-dimensional cell manipulation method that can reproduce organogenesis via the epithelial-mesenchymal interaction. The bioengineered salivary glands develop correct structure and successfully secrete saliva into the oral cavity via reestablishment of the afferent-efferent neural network. The bioengineered salivary glands also improve dry mouth symptoms, such as bacterial infections and swallowing dysfunction. This review summarizes recent findings and technological advances in salivary gland regenerative therapy.

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