Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) College of Dentistry Clinical Fellow Woo-Ju Kim (Department of Periodontology) has attracted international attention for his research achievements in periodontal tissue regeneration.

At the 44th Hatton Competition of the Korean Division of the International Association for Dental Research (KADR), held recently at Seoul Biohub, Clinical Fellow Kim presented his study on 'Development of an Adhesive Biomaterial for Gingival Tissue Restoration' and received both the Hatton Award and the Excellent Academic Award from the Korea Periodontal Research Foundation.

The research he presented is titled 'Evaluation of Gingival Tissue Regeneration Using a Collagen Matrix Combined with a Photocurable Bioadhesive.'

The study was carried out jointly by the research team led by Professor Yoon Jeong-ho of the JBNU Department of Periodontology, Pohang University of Science and Technology, and BioBrics Co., Ltd. It aimed to regenerate oral soft tissue and periodontal tissue.

The research team locally applied an adhesive restorative material based on decellularized mucosal extracellular matrix together with a collagen matrix to gingival defects and evaluated the actual tissue regeneration effects. As a result, intraoral scanning and tissue morphometric analyses showed marked improvements in graft stability, adhesion, and integration rates, and enhanced regeneration of keratinized gingiva.

This suggests that mucosal extracellular matrix-based adhesive biomaterials could serve as a promising platform for the development of future periodontal tissue regeneration therapeutics.

Clinical Fellow Woo-Ju Kim said, 'I am honored to have presented new possibilities in the field of periodontal tissue regeneration through this research,' and added, 'I will continue this work to develop patient-customized regenerative therapies.'