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Objectives: Current methods for periodontal regeneration do not promote collagen fiber insertions into new bone and cementum. We used a pig wound model to screen different functionalized collagen membranes in promoting periodontal reattachment to root surfaces. Methods: Treatment groups included (1) control with no membranes, (2) collagen‐coated membranes, (3) membranes with insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1), (4) membranes with amelotin, or (5) membranes attached with calcium phosphate cement (CPC), or with CPC combined with IGF‐1. Flap procedures were performed on mandibular and maxillary premolars of each pig. Results: Histomorphometric, micro‐CT, and clinical measurements obtained at 4 and 12 weeks after surgery showed cementum formation on denuded roots and reformation of alveolar bone, indicating that the pig model can model healing responses in periodontal regeneration. Calcium phosphate cement simplified procedures by eliminating the need for sutures and improved regeneration of alveolar bone (p < 0.05) compared with other treatments. There was a reduction (p < 0.05) of PD only for the IGF group. Large observed variances between treatment groups indicated that a priori power analyses should be conducted to optimize statistical analysis. Conclusions: Pigs can model discrete elements of periodontal healing using collagen‐based, functionalized membranes. Screening indicates that membrane anchorage with calcium phosphate cements improve regeneration of alveolar bone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collagen biomineralization is a complex process and the controlling factors at the molecular level are still not well understood. A particularly high level of spatial control over collagen mineralization is evident in the anchorage of teeth to the jawbone by the periodontal ligament. Here, unmineralized ligament collagen fibrils become mineralized at an extremely sharp mineralization front in the root of the tooth. A model of collagen biomineralization based on demineralized cryosections of mouse molars in the bone socket is presented. When exposed to metastable calcium and phosphate-containing solutions, mineral re-deposits selectively into the natively mineralized tissues with high fidelity, demonstrating that the extracellular matrix retains sufficient information to control the rate of mineralization at the tissue level. While solutions of simulated bodily fluid produce amorphous calcium phosphate within the tissue section, a more highly supersaturated solution stabilized with polyaspartic acid produces oriented, crystalline calcium phosphate with diffraction patterns consistent with hydroxyapatite. The model thus replicates both spatial control of mineral deposition, as well as the matrix-mineral relationships of natively mineralized collagen fibrils, and can be used to elucidate roles of specific biomolecules in the highly controlled process of collagen biomineralization. This knowledge will be critical in the design of collagen-based scaffolds for tissue engineering of hard-soft tissue interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]