  The periodontal biomechanical environment is very difficult to investigate.
By the complex geometry and composition of the periodontal ligament, its
mechanical behavior is very dependent on the type of loading (compressive vs.
tensile loading; static vs. cyclic loading; uniaxial vs. multiaxial) and the
location around the root (cervical, middle, or apical). These different aspects
of the periodontal ligament make it difficult to develop a functional
biomaterial to treat periodontal attachment due to periodontal diseases. This
review aims to describe the structural and biomechanical properties of the
periodontal ligament. Particular importance is placed in the close
interrelationship that exists between structure and biomechanics: the
periodontal ligament structural organization is specific to its biomechanical
environment, and its biomechanical properties are specific to its structural
arrangement. This balance between structure and biomechanics can be explained
by a mechanosensitive periodontal cellular activity. These specifications have
to be considered in the further tissue engineering strategies for the
development of an efficient biomaterial for periodontal tissues regeneration.
