Relevance of the plasminogen system in physiology, pathology, and regeneration of oral tissues - From the perspective of dental specialties

•The plasminogen system plays an essential role in physiological and pathological processes in oral tissues.•Oral tissues show changes in the plasminogen system during pathological processes such as periodontitis, periimplantitis, or pulpitis, as well as in response to mechanical loading.•The number of studies investigating the plasminogen system in dentistry is increasing continuously, highlighting the relevance for dental medicine.•Here we present the diverse functions of the plasminogen system in physiology and its importance for dental specialists in pathology and regeneration.

Plasmin is a proteolytic enzyme that is crucial in fibrinolysis. In oral tissues, the plasminogen system plays an essential role in physiological and pathological processes, which in addition to fibrinolysis include degradation of extracellular matrix, inflammation, immune response, angiogenesis, tissue remodeling, cell migration, and wound healing. Oral tissues reveal a change in the plasminogen system during pathological processes such as periodontitis, peri-implantitis, or pulpitis, as well as in response to mechanical load. The plasminogen system is also a key element in tissue regeneration. The number of studies investigating the plasminogen system in dentistry have grown continuously in recent years, highlighting its increasing relevance in dental medicine. In this review, we present the diverse functions of the plasminogen system in physiology and its importance for dental specialists in pathology and regeneration. We thus provide an overview of the current knowledge on the role of the plasminogen system in the different fields of dentistry, including endodontics, orthodontics, periodontics, and oral surgery.