Beyond Traditional Dentistry: How Organoids and Next-Gen Hydrogels Are Redesigning Dental Tissue Regeneration

Abstract

Dental tissue regeneration has advanced rapidly with the development of bioengineered hydrogels and organoid technologies. In this review, multifunctional hydrogels are examined as biomimetic platforms with osteoinductive, adhesive, angiogenic, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory properties tailored to enamel, dentin-pulp complex, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone repair. Incorporation of bioactive molecules, including growth factors, bioceramics, antioxidants, and immune-modulating agents, has been reported to enhance tissue-specific regeneration while mitigating infection and inflammation. Stimuli-responsive designs have been utilized to enable spatiotemporally controlled delivery and degradation. Immunomodulatory hydrogels also have been shown to direct macrophage polarization, regulate T-cell infiltration, and promote matrix remodeling. Furthermore, organoid models supported by hydrogels have been employed to replicate dental tissue architecture, guide lineage-specific differentiation, and provide reproducible, physiologically relevant platforms for drug screening and developmental studies. Emerging strategies such as microfluidic organoid-on-chip systems and mechanically stimulated cultures are noted for their potential to provide more physiologically relevant models. Early clinical studies involving hydrogel-based scaffolds and stem cell constructs are discussed, indicating growing translational potential. Overall, these developments highlights that how advanced hydrogels and organoid systems can contribute to a shift from conventional restorative methods toward tissue engineering-based regenerative therapies.