The need for effective and safe approaches to promote tissue restoration, repair, replacement, and regeneration has spurred interest in biofunctional materials, including copper and microvesicles, given their potential synergistic effects. Indeed, the recently-introduced combination of copper and microvesicles has been recently proposed as a promising innovative and alternative approach showing promise in enhancing therapeutic effects, thereby, promoting in situ tissue repair and regeneration in various fields, such as orthopaedics, dermatology, and dentistry, amongst others. In this article, an overview of Copper-incorporated Microvesicles (CiMs) and their potential applications is provided; a promising avenue for addressing unmet needs in dental and oral surgery. Herein, CiMs have been shown to promote angiogenesis, enhance cell migration, and increase cell proliferation, leading to improved tissue regeneration outcomes. Additionally, the anti-microbial, angiogenic, and anti-inflammatory properties of copper enhance the therapeutic potential of microvesicles. The various methods employed to synthesize, formulate, and characterize CiMs and their potential applications in endodontics, implant dentistry, bone regeneration, treatment of gingival and periodontal disease, and prevention of dentin hypersensitivity, to mention a few, are also discussed. Henceforth, ongoing research, development, and innovation (R&D&I) efforts hold promise for further fine-tuning/optimization of formulated CiMs, leveraging the unique physico-chemico-mechanico-biological properties of novel biofunctional materials, suitable for clinical use in oro-dentistry and cranio-maxillo-facial surgery applications, and undoubtedly beyond.
copper-incorporated microvesicles; dental; oral surgery; biomaterials; layer-by-layer; self-assembly; polymer; antimicrobial; biocompatibility; tissue regeneration; drug delivery; safety