Alveolar bone regeneration

Alveolar bone regeneration is a complex physiological process and a primary clinical objective in periodontology and oral surgery, aimed at restoring the bone that supports the teeth. It is not a single molecular target but rather a coordinated biological event involving the recruitment, proliferation, and differentiation of osteoprogenitor cells, primarily regulated by signaling pathways such as Wnt, BMP, and RANKL/OPG (NIH, 2025). In diseases like periodontitis or following tooth extraction, the balance between bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts is disrupted, leading to significant bone loss (NIH, 2014). Therapeutic strategies to promote alveolar bone regeneration include the use of recombinant growth factors like BMP-2 and PDGF, as well as bone grafts and guided tissue regeneration membranes (IntechOpen, 2013). These interventions aim to provide a scaffold and molecular cues to stimulate de novo bone formation and restore the structural integrity of the alveolar ridge. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of this process is essential for developing targeted therapies to treat tooth loss and advanced periodontal disease (NIH, 2024).

Other names

Alveolar bone healingAlveolar ridge augmentationPeriodontal bone regenerationAlveolar bone remodelingAlveolar ridge preservation

Activation of osteoblast differentiation via BMP/Smad signaling, inhibition of osteoclast activity through RANKL antagonism, stimulation of mesenchymal stem cell proliferation, and modulation of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway to enhance bone formation.