Tissue Engineering Craniofacial Bone Products

Abstract Over the last two decades, a large amount of research effort was focused on developing tissue engineering (TE) approaches for bone regeneration in clinical situations where conventional treatments fail. Significant progress was made in the understanding of bone biology, in particular regarding the roles of various types of stem cells in enhancing bone regeneration. New biomaterials and technologies were developed that allow stimulation of native bone repair, as well as preparation of viable TE bone substitutes ex-vivo . In the current chapter, we discuss the key components and strategies used to prepare viable TE bone substitutes for clinical use. We present the properties and the effects of transplanted TE bone substitutes on bone healing in preclinical models, and current clinical reports of TE bone products used for the treatment of patients in case reports and clinical studies. Finally, we discuss the challenges that need to be addressed to allow TE bone products reach routine clinical applications.