The knowledge and the understanding of the role of growth factors, their mechanisms of action, and molecular signaling pathways, which have been reviewed in this article, suggest the potential for many novel therapeutic targets, not only for applying growth factors but also for the potential use of growth factor inhibitors or agents that target specific parts of the intracellular signaling pathways in controlling oral pathologies. There remains an enormous challenge to convert some of the knowledge from basic studies of bone cell physiology and inflammatory cells to therapeutically useful techniques for the future.