Clinical Perspective of Electrospun Nanofibers as a Drug Delivery Strategy for Regenerative Endodontics

Recent progress in endodontics, particularly encouraging regenerative outcomes achieved by evoked bleeding therapy in the treatment of necrotic immature permanent teeth, clearly suggests that establishment of a regenerative-based clinical strategy is closer than ever before. In this context, an efficient disinfection of the root canal system, mainly through the eradication of microbial biofilms, is a crucial step. Accordingly, numerous bacterial biofilm models have been used in vitro as an attempt to simulate the clinical conditions. To offer a comprehensive update on progress in the field, this review provides an overview of biofilm role in endodontic disease and in vitro biofilm models, the importance of disinfection, a brief review on antibiotic-containing polymer nanofibers and their antimicrobial properties, and future perspective of this novel intracanal drug delivery strategy in regenerative endodontics. Limitations in reproducing in vivo conditions will always exist; however, creating a laboratory-based biofilm model that very closely simulates clinical situations makes in vitro research reliable and the first step towards translation of new therapies.