Deadline for Submission: April 30, 2026.
The Journal of Dental Research is pleased to announce an upcoming Special Issue (SI) dedicated to the health and biology of the dental hard tissues (enamel, dentin, and cementum), featuring contemporary high-throughput approaches designed to critically explore and generate evidence that will advance dental, oral, and craniofacial science. The guest editors are Dr. Joy Richman, University of British Columbia, and Dr. Naile Dame-Teixeira, University of Brasilia.
Central to this SI are emerging dimensions of dental hard tissue biology. Enamel, dentin, and cementum, although distinct in origin, share hydroxyapatite-rich mineral matrices and undergo a wide range of pre- and post-eruptive alterations that expose both their strengths and their weaknesses. Basic science approaches have the potential to uncover mechanisms, molecules, and biomarkers that can clarify the processes that govern these unique mineralized structures. This SI expands current knowledge on the formation, degradation, and therapeutic support of dental hard tissues through recent advances in biomineralization and biomodification of dental hard tissues.
The scope of this SI includes the evolution of dental hard tissues with particular emphasis on comparative studies on mammalian dental structures. These perspectives can illuminate long-term biological patterns reflected in tooth morphology and composition, as well as structural adaptations observed today. We welcome submissions that provide novel insights into how hard tissues develop and fail, for example, by employing advanced imaging or molecular methods. Understanding developmental processes is critical for identifying genetic risk of diseases that affect the formation, structure, and integrity of dental hard tissues. We also invite contributions on genetic disorders, as well as non-genetic mineralization disturbances, such as molar-incisor hypoplasia and pre-eruptive coronal resorption.
We encourage contributions that address the biological basis of dental caries, the most common disease worldwide, including risk factors and the mechanisms underlying lesion initiation and progression in enamel and dentin, and the distinct features of early childhood caries such as its microbial profiles. Dental hard tissues are dynamic structures that evolve across the lifespan and respond in diverse ways to developmental, environmental, and functional challenges. The SI will consider aging-related alterations in the dental hard tissues, including attrition, root resorption, erosion, and fractures. Root caries is also relevant, with a unique tubular architecture and susceptibility profile compared to enamel caries.
Finally, the SI covers new methods of modifying dental hard tissues to maintain health, including novel insights into the biochemical effects of fluoride and other therapeutic strategies for controlling caries lesions, as well as the development of remineralization mimetics and the design of new materials capable of biomodification of enamel, dentin, or cementum.
Together, these themes aim to assemble contemporary biological research on dental hard tissues and promote an integrated understanding of their formation, function, demineralization, and preservation.
