At the present, the main approach to repair the maxillary and facial malformation and dysfunction caused by bone defect is bone graft. Many researches focus on seeking for an ideal repair material. Chitin and its derivatives are a kind of native polymer. They have the potential to be an ideal repair material because of their special molecular structure and excellent biological characteristics. In this article, the recent studies on the application of chitin and its derivatives for repair of bone defect are reviewed.
