Stem Cells in Pediatric Dentistry

Methods: A search was performed using keywords ^"Stem cells" and ^"dentistry^" to identify the current literature. The related articles were searched in databases including IDL, Pubmed, and Medline from 2007 to 2012.

 Results: The most familiar application of adult stem cell therapy is bone marrow transplantation to treat hematopoietic cancers, metabolic disorders, and congenital immunodeficiency syndromes. Pulpal tissue of primary teeth and surgically removed third molars may serve as a source of adult mesen­chymal stem cells. Researchers have discovered that stem cells harvested from deciduous teeth may be a source of tissue regeneration and repair.

 Conclusion: Research on stem-cell therapies utilizing cells of dental origin may some day progress to offer clear options for tissue repair and regeneration. At this time however, experts agree on the prematurity of claims regarding the future use of dental pulp stem cells for this purpose. It is important that dentists and the public have access to accurate and unbiased information. Organization must encourages dentists to follow future evidence-based literature in order to educate parents about the collection, storage, viability, and use of dental stem cells with respect to autologous regenerative therapies.