Musculoskeletal Diagnostics, Biomaterials and Bone Regeneration

A special issue of Journal of Functional Biomaterials (ISSN 2079-4983). This special issue belongs to the section "Bone Biomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 923

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Lecce, Italy
Interests: development, optimization and clinical validation of methods for the characterization of human tissues with a specific focus on novel diagnostic applications of ultrasound signals on bone and muscle tissues; clinical data analysis; nanomaterials for medical application

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Guest Editor
Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Interests: advancing the understanding of bone and muscle interplay to develop innovative biomarkers and therapies that improve musculoskeletal health and patient outcomes
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue “Musculoskeletal Diagnostics, Biomaterials and Bone Regeneration.” Accurate musculoskeletal diagnosis and the development of advanced biomaterials for bone regeneration remain key challenges in improving patient outcomes and overall musculoskeletal health. Despite significant progress in diagnostic imaging and biomaterial engineering, further research is needed to optimize clinical translation and to deepen our understanding of the biological mechanisms driving tissue regeneration.

This Special Issue aims to bridge materials science and diagnostic innovation to foster reliable, patient-centered solutions. We encourage submissions exploring recent advances for the diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders through medical devices (such as ultrasound, MRI, and X-ray technologies) and biochemical mechanisms, as well as studies on the development and characterization of biomaterials for bone repair and regeneration.

By bringing together engineers, clinicians, and experts in imaging and artificial intelligence, this Issue seeks to promote rigorous methodologies, reproducible benchmarks, and clinically meaningful outcomes that can accelerate the transition from laboratory research to clinical practice.

Contributions leveraging imaging or AI-assisted diagnostics to improve disease diagnosis, monitor tissue integration, and predict therapeutic outcomes are particularly welcome.

Dr. Fiorella Anna Lombardi
Dr. Nunzia Gallo
Dr. Federica Saponaro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Biomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • musculoskeletal diagnostics
  • biomaterials
  • bone regeneration
  • imaging and AI
  • 3D printing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 1287 KB  
Article
Dental Implantation Changes the Bone Morphology and Mineral Density of Human Mandibular Condyle: A Pilot Study
by Ian Segall, Mark Finkelstein, Sonya Kalim, Jinju Kim, Nicholas Jones, Zachary Skabelund, Hong Chen, Hany A. Emam, Lisa Knobloch and Do-Gyoon Kim
J. Funct. Biomater. 2026, 17(2), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb17020099 - 18 Feb 2026
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Abstract
Dental implantation affects masticatory bite and muscle forces. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) bears a substantial amount of these masticatory forces. Thus, the objective of the current study was to investigate whether dental implantation alters the human mandibular condyle. Among 556 images, 54 and [...] Read more.
Dental implantation affects masticatory bite and muscle forces. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) bears a substantial amount of these masticatory forces. Thus, the objective of the current study was to investigate whether dental implantation alters the human mandibular condyle. Among 556 images, 54 and 22 CBCT scans were successfully identified from 27 patients (10 males and 17 females; 54.93 ± 19.46 years) in the control group and 11 patients (3 males and 8 females; 51.32 ± 13.13 years) in the implant group, respectively. In the control group, CBCT images were obtained longitudinally at the time of implantation and after the post-implantation healing period, both prior to crown placement. In the implant group, CBCT images were obtained at the time of crown placement on a single-tooth implant and after the functional loading period following crown placement. Left and right mandibular condyles were digitally isolated from the images. The bone mineral density (BMD) parameters and morphological changes were assessed using frequency plots of BMD and TMJ osteoarthritis (OA) counts, respectively. In the control group, BMD values were not significantly different between the first and second scans. In contrast, the implant group showed a significant decrease in BMD values, along with a marginal increase in TMJ OA counts after the functional loading period. The TMJ OA counts were highest in the anterior regions, followed by the middle and posterior regions. Most regions showed significantly reduced BMD values, except the antero-lateral and antero-central regions. The current findings give an insight that dental implantation may alter the morphology and BMD of human mandibular condyles. The TMJ OA counts increased, while BMD decreased during the functional loading period of more than 3 months following implantation. Masticatory loading associated with the dental implant likely increases the load on the TMJ, which could stimulate new bone formation to balance the load distribution on the mandibular condyle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Musculoskeletal Diagnostics, Biomaterials and Bone Regeneration)
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