Biology and Medicine

Abstract

Use of collagen as an implantable material in the reconstructive procedures - an overview

Khan R, Khan MH,Bey A

Collagen is an important biomaterial in medical applications due to its special characteristics, such as biodegradability and weak antigenicity. Thus collagen, as a new type of biomaterial, has been used in drug delivery systems and tissue engineering. Collagen is capable of being prepared into cross-linked compacted solids or into lattice-like gels. Resorbable forms of collagen have been used to dress oral wounds, for closure of graft and extraction sites, and to promote healing. Collagen-based membranes also have been used in periodontal and implant therapy as barriers to prevent epithelial migration and allow cells with regenerative capacity to repopulate the defect area. It has been hypothesized that membrane regenerative techniques facilitate the natural biological potential by creating a favorable environment for periodontal and peri-implant regeneration. Due to the enormous potential of collagen-based regenerative barriers, clinicians may benefit from a review of potential applications of implantable collagen and knowledge of collagen preparation and membrane types as well as from as awareness of the functional and degradation properties of those materials.