From bench to application: Current practices in tissue engineering and its realisation at maxillofacial units in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Over the last 20 years, the highly interdisciplinary field of tissue engineering (TE) has become an established subspecialty in research facilities all over the world. Numerous methods and protocols are available for various research intentions and aims, but there are no data indicating which of these methods and resources are generally used. This study is an overview of the resources and methods that are commonly applied in TE research in general, and in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The DÖSAK collaborative group for TE developed a detailed questionnaire and collected information from participating university hospitals in these three countries. We evaluated the availability of research facilities, in vitro realisation and in vivo designs for animal studies in these departments. 11 units who replied, out of 35 we contacted, conducted research on bone regeneration in interdisciplinary research facilities. 10 departments used xenogeneic and alloplastic scaffolds for in vitro and in vivo applications. In this case, the most commonly utilised trademarks were Bio-Oss(®) and CERASORB(®). 9 units used osteoblasts (73%) and 10 proliferation assays in vitro, whereas rats served as the standard animal model for histology/immunohistochemistry in 6. All research units were interested in establishing a platform for research exchange and communication. This study shows that tissue engineering is well established and highly accepted in most participating university hospitals and research facilities. The presented data, together with data published in a foregoing paper will help arrange more readily available standardised procedures for further investigations.