Bone Engineering Using Human Demineralized Dentin Matrix and Recombinant Human BMP-2

We first confirmed the osteoinductive property of human demineralized dentin matrix (DDM) histologically. Human DDM was prepared from vital, extracted teeth and implanted into the subcutaneous tissue in nude mice. The shape of the DDM was a particle type and its size varied from 0.4 to 0.8 mm. The hard tissue induction by 70 mg of the DDM was estimated at 4 weeks after implantation. The DDM induced bone and cartilage independently. In addition, the time-course of the bioassay by recombinant human BMP-2 (5.0μγ)/ DDM (70mg) was estimated in rat subcutaneous tissues. Histological examination showed that the BMP-2/ DDM induced bone and cartilage and the DDM were gradually replaced by new bone. The morphometric analysis demonstrated that the BMP-2/DDM showed 79.0% in the volume of bone and marrow, and 21.0% in that of DDM at 32 weeks. These results indicate that human DDM particles are osteoinductive matrics and the DDM might be effective as a carrier of BMP-2 for bone engineering.