FIG. 1.

Divergence of two biological approaches for facial reconstruction or augmentation. Cells, including stem/progenitor cells, may be injected in soluble matrices or seeded in preformed anatomically correct matrices for the healing or augmentation of dental, oral, and craniofacial defects, as shown in the schematics on the right. However, cell delivery is associated with potential commercialization and regulatory hurdles such as excessive cost of cell harvest, processing, packaging/shipping/storage, contamination, and clinical acceptance rate. In comparison, biological cues can be encapsulated in biocompatible microparticles such as injectables or loaded into preformed, anatomically correct matrices for the healing or augmentation of dental, oral, and craniofacial defects, as shown in the schematics on the right. Biological cues are capable of homing the host's endogenous cells, including stem/progenitor cells, and can be prepackaged and made available in a medical or dental office at the time of clinical need, with several previous products approved for clinical applications. Cell homing and cell delivery combined is the foundation for facial biosurgery that minimizes surgical trauma and yield long-lasting esthetic and functional outcome, in comparison with shortcomings of current practice of tissue grafting and synthetic fillers. Color images available online at www.liebertonline.com/ten.