The preparation, properties, and applications of polyphenol hydrogels for the treatment of oral diseases: A comprehensive overview.

In recent years, polyphenol hydrogels (PHs) have shown broad application prospects in oral disease treatment due to their unique biological activities, excellent biocompatibility, and controllable physicochemical properties. Polyphenol compounds have various biological functions including antioxidation, anti-inflammation, antibacterial and promoting tissue repair, and the three-dimensional network structure of hydrogels can simulate the natural extracellular matrix and provide an ideal platform for drug loading and sustainably released drugs. The combination of polyphenols and hydrogels can not only enhance their stability, but also achieve a synergistic therapeutic effect, which provides a new idea for the targeted treatment of oral diseases. This article systematically reviews the preparation methods (physical cross-linking, chemical cross-linking, double cross-linking, and other methods) of PHs applied for treating oral diseases. Moreover, this review comprehensively outlines the properties (antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, osteogenic, stimuli-responsive, adhesion, degradability, self-healing properties, etc.) of PHs. Furthermore, this paper systematically summarizes the applications of PHs in the treatment of oral tumors, pulpitis, oral mucosal repair and wound healing, teeth whitening, and periodontitis. The findings provide important references for the further development and utilization of PHs.