Magnesium in dentistry

A game-changer for bone
regeneration and tissue repair

Magnesium, the eighth most abundant element on Earth, plays a fundamental role in various physiological processes in the human body. It serves as a cofactor for over 300 enzymes, influencing essential functions such as muscle contraction, neuromuscular conduction, myocardial contraction, and blood pressure regulation. Around 50–60% of the body’s magnesium is stored in bones. Nowadays, it has become a promising biomaterial due to the combination of its biocompatibility, mechanical properties and biodegradation.

Magnesium at a glance

  • Essential for healthy bones and bone growth
  • Regulates muscle contraction and supports muscular function
  • Vital for proper nerve function
  • Crucial in energy production for cellular processes
  • Key player in maintaining healthy blood pressure regulation and heart rhythm

Magnesium in Modern Dentistry:
Healing, Regeneration and Beyond

Mechanical strength and biodegradability for
optimal bone healing
Unlike other metallic biomaterials with excessive stiffness, magnesium offers a unique combination of malleability and structural integrity, making it well-suited for biomedical applications 1, 2. When implanted in the body, magnesium metal naturally degrades into magnesium salts, which are safely resorbed in the human body without immune reaction.

Magnesium offers the perfect balance of strength and biodegradability for bone healing. It supports regeneration, dissolves naturally without immune reactions, and eliminates the need for removal surgeries—ensuring efficient, patient-friendly healing.

Due to its biodegradability, a secure structure is provided during the critical healing period, followed by the replacement by patient’s native tissue 3. Furthermore, magnesium’s ability to maintain space within the defect site ensures optimal conditions for bone growth while preventing soft tissue proliferation in the critical space required for bone regeneration 3, 4.

The Ultimate Solution

for bone defects and bridge aesthetics

„Materials completely resorbed after 4 months entry yielding unexpected bone volume vertically and horizontally way beyond our expectations. The products are a true breakthrough and will change bone grafting immensely.“ Prof. Gabi Chaushu, Head Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Tel Aviv, Israel

Bone Regeneration and Osteogenesis

Magnesium ions enhance mineralization and promote bone remodeling processes.

Magnesium plays an essential role in promoting osteogenesis and facilitating new bone formation through its diverse biological effects. Magnesium ions create an optimal microenvironment for bone regeneration by establishing favourable alkaline conditions and stimulating the proliferation and migration of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, expediting the regeneration process 5, 6.

Additionally, Mg2+ ions promote osteoblast adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation by activating key signalling pathways. This activation drives the production of essential bone matrix proteins, which, in turn, support angiogenesis, bone healing, and robust tissue regeneration 7-10. In dental applications, this property is especially significant for alveolar bone augmentation, where rapid bone growth is critical for stabilizing implants and reconstructing bone defects.

Read more in our blog

Advancing Dental Procedures with Magnesium Biomaterials: A Focus on Bone and Tissue Regeneration

Dental products
with Magnesium

Every bone augmentation procedure is unique, necessitating the use of materials
with diverse properties. Until now, the choice has been between mechanically strong,
non-resorbable materials that either remain permanently in-situ or are extracted with
a second surgery, or resorbable materials that are either soft and durable or hard and brittle. To fulfill the need for a resorbable augmentation material that is both strong and durable, the NOVAMag® product line was developed.

Formation of Cortical Bone and Bone Quality

Magnesium’s role in osteogenesis extends to the formation of cortical bone, the dense outer layer of bone that provides structural integrity and support. Research has shown that magnesium-based biomaterials enhance osteoblast function, promoting mineral deposition and accelerating cortical bone formation. Studies indicate that magnesium-derived materials lead to the development of a more uniform and denser bone structure compared to traditional biomaterials. Furthermore, the degradation products of magnesium, such as magnesium hydroxide, have been found to facilitate localized mineralization, which further supports the development and strengthening of cortical bone 11,12.

Magnesium supports bone mineralization and improves bone microarchitecture.

„Since discovering NOVAMag® membrane, a rigid, resorbable magnesium membrane, my bone grafting techniques have evolved to be more minimally invasive, modern and consistently successful.“

Dr. Hassan Maghaireh Implantologist, UK

A Natural Advantage in Dental Medicine
The ideal barrier membrane design is strong enough to protect the defect while being degradable and maintaining cell occlusivity during healing. Magnesium-based membranes are perfect for regenerative surgeries, offering the mechanical stability of metal while ensuring reliable degradation and resorption. This eliminates the need for membrane removal, reducing surgeries, invasiveness, and chair time.

See Dr. Erick Motas Webinar:
Management of compromised sockets using Magnesium Shield Technique.

The Webinar ist held in spanish with english subtitles

Magnesium in bone and tissue repair

  • Boosts osteoblast activity and promote bone remodelling processes.
  • Improves bone microarchitecture, enhancing cortical bone formation
  • Promotes angiogenesis and enhances blood supply to the surrounding tissues.
  • Modulates the immune response, creating optimal conditions for osteogenesis.

Fuel for Faster Bone Healing :
Promotion of Vascularization in New Bone Formation

Magnesium promotes angiogenesis
and enhances blood supply to the surrounding tissues.

Magnesium’s biodegradation process also releases Mg2+ ions that have been shown to stimulate angiogenesis which in turn supports tissue repair. Additionally, these ions have been shown to enhance angiogenic responses, which are crucial for supplying oxygen and nutrients to regenerating bone tissue. Adequate vascularization accelerates the healing of bone defects, supports dental implant integration, and is essential in guided tissue regeneration (GTR) techniques. Ensuring an adequate blood supply, accelerates the healing process of alveolar bone defects, supports the integration of dental implants, and plays a crucial role in tissue regeneration techniques, where soft tissue healing is as critical as bone regeneration 13,14.

botiss campus

Learn from the experts

Find out about the latest publications in the field, watch surgical videos and take part in webinars with international experts. Learn how to get the maximum impact for your dental practice.

Science

Edutainment

  1. Zheng, Y. F., Gu, X. N. and Witte, F. (2014) ‘Biodegradable metals’, Materials Science and Engineering R: Reports, 77, pp.1–34. doi: 10.1016/j.mser.2014.01.001
  2. Wang, Jiali et al. (2012) ‘Surface modification of magnesium alloys developed for bioabsorbable orthopedic implants: A General review’, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research – Part B Applied Biomaterials, 100 B(6), pp. 1691–1701. doi: 10.1002/ jbm.b.32707
  3. Al Alawi, A. M., Majoni, S. W., & Falhammar, H. (2018). Magnesium and Human Health: Perspectives and Research Directions. International journal of endocrinology, 2018, 9041694. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9041694
  4. Yuan Chen, Siming Zhang, Jiaxiang Bai, Yao Yang, Yingjie Wang, Yanling Zhou, Wei Jiang, Junjie Wang, Junchen Zhu, Chen Zhu, Xianzuo Zhang, Magnesium-based biomaterials for coordinated tissue repair: A comprehensive overview of design strategies, advantages, and challenges, Journal of Magnesium and Alloys, Volume 12, Issue 8, 2024, Pages 3025-3061, ISSN 2213-9567, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jma.2024.05.028.
  5. Qi, T., Weng, J., Yu, F., Zhang, W., Li, G., Qin, H., Tan, Z., & Zeng, H. (2021). Insights into the Role of Magnesium Ions in Affecting Osteogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Biological trace element research, 199(2), 559–567. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02183-y
  6. Jing, X., Ding, Q., Wu, Q., Su, W., Yu, K., Su, Y., Ye, B., Gao, Q., Sun, T., & Guo, X. (2021). Magnesium-based materials in orthopaedics: material properties and animal models. Biomaterials translational, 2(3), 197–213. https://doi.org/10.12336/biomatertransl.2021.03.004
  7. R. Abhinandan, S. Pranav Adithya, D. Saleth Sidharthan, K. Balagangadharan, N. Selvamurugan, Synthesis and characterization of magnesium diboride nanosheets in alginate/polyvinyl alcohol scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, Volume 203, 2021, 111771, ISSN 0927-7765, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2021.111771
  8. Zhang X, Zu H, Zhao D, Yang K, Tian S, Yu X, Lu F, Liu B, Yu X, Wang B, Wang W, Huang S, Wang Y, Wang Z, Zhang Z. Ion channel functional protein kinase TRPM7 regulates Mg ions to promote the osteoinduction of human osteoblast via PI3K pathway: In vitro simulation of the bone-repairing effect of Mg-based alloy implant. Acta Biomater. 2017 Nov;63:369-382. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2017.08.051. Epub 2017 Sep 4. PMID: 28882757.
  9. Jing, X., Ding, Q., Wu, Q., Su, W., Yu, K., Su, Y., Ye, B., Gao, Q., Sun, T., & Guo, X. (2021). Magnesium-based materials in orthopaedics: material properties and animal models. Biomaterials translational, 2(3), 197–213. https://doi.org/10.12336/biomatertransl.2021.03.004
  10. Zhai Z, Qu X, Li H, Yang K, Wan P, Tan L, Ouyang Z, Liu X, Tian B, Xiao F, Wang W, Jiang C, Tang T, Fan Q, Qin A, Dai K. The effect of metallic magnesium degradation products on osteoclast-induced osteolysis and attenuation of NF-κB and NFATc1 signaling. Biomaterials. 2014 Aug;35(24):6299-310. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.04.044. Epub 2014 May 9. PMID: 24816285.
  11. H.-S. Han, I. Jun, H.-K. Seok, K.-S. Lee, K. Lee, F. Witte, D. Mantovani, Y.-C. Kim, S. Glyn-Jones, J. R. Edwards, Biodegradable Magnesium Alloys Promote Angio-Osteogenesis to Enhance Bone Repair. Adv. Sci. 2020, 7, 2000800. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202000800
  12. Zanjing Zhai, Xinhua Qu, Haowei Li, Ke Yang, Peng Wan, Lili Tan, Zhengxiao Ouyang, Xuqiang Liu, Bo Tian, Fei Xiao, Wengang Wang, Chuan Jiang, Tingting Tang, Qiming Fan, An Qin, Kerong Dai,The effect of metallic magnesium degradation products on osteoclast-induced osteolysis and attenuation of NF-κB and NFATc1 signaling, Biomaterials, Volume 35, Issue 24, 2014, Pages 6299-6310, ISSN 0142-9612, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.04.044
  13. Larsson L, Decker AM, Nibali L, Pilipchuk SP, Berglundh T, Giannobile WV. Regenerative Medicine for Periodontal and Peri-implant Diseases. J Dent Res. 2016 Mar;95(3):255-66. doi: 10.1177/0022034515618887. Epub 2015 Nov 25. PMID: 26608580; PMCID: PMC4766955.
  14. Farré-Guasch, E., Bravenboer, N., Helder, M. N., Schulten, E. A. J. M., Ten Bruggenkate, C. M., & Klein-Nulend, J. (2018). Blood Vessel Formation and Bone Regeneration Potential of the Stromal Vascular Fraction Seeded on a Calcium Phosphate Scaffold in the Human Maxillary Sinus Floor Elevation Model. Materials (Basel, Switzerland), 11(1), 161. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11010161

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