Biomaterials derived from hard palate mucosa for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

Autologous materials have superior biosafety and are widely used in clinical practice. Due to its excellent trauma-healing ability, the hard palate mucosa (HPM) has become a hot spot for autologous donor area research. Multiple studies have conducted an in-depth analysis of the healing ability of the HPM at the cellular and molecular levels. In addition, the HPM has good maneuverability as a donor area for soft tissue grafts, and researchers have isolated various specific mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from HPM. Free soft tissue grafts obtained from the HPM have been widely used in the clinic and have played an essential role in dentistry, eyelid reconstruction, and the repair of other specific soft tissue defects. This article reviews the advantages of HPM as a donor area and its related mechanisms, classes of HPM-derived biomaterials, the current status of clinical applications, challenges, and future development directions.