TITLE:
The Current Status of Stem Cell Regeneration in Intra Oral Applications—A Systematic Review
AUTHORS:
Abbasi Kanwal, Jovita D’souza, Lovely Muthiah, S. Srividya
KEYWORDS:
Stem Cells, Regeneration, Dental Tissues
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Stomatology,
Vol.7 No.4,
April
17,
2017
ABSTRACT: Aim: 1) To review the literature of various applications of stem cell regeneration in dentistry from 2010 to 2016. 2) To review these studies and to summarize the current status of stem cell regeneration in intra oral applications. 3) To present the available successful data with regard to stem cell regeneration in dentistry and to highlight the future trends. Materials and Methods: Search Protocol: A systematic search was made in the PubMed database with the key words gingiva, papillary reconstruction, periodontal ligament, dental pulp, salivary gland, enamel re-mineralization, dentin, cementum, bone, whole tooth, cleft palate, regeneration and stem cells. All articles from 2010 to 2016, relevant to the topic were included. After the search a total of 1826 articles were obtained which were screened and categorized by three independent reviewers as review papers, in vitro, animal and human studies, pertaining to stem cell regeneration in intra oral applications. On the basis of the extracted data and outcome measures, conclusions were drawn. Results: Maximum number of animal studies has been done to regenerate periodontal tissues, bone, dentin and pulp tissues. Few human studies have been done till date. Although clinically, researchers have been able to regenerate periodontal-like tissue, bone and pulp-like tissue, they still haven’t been able to regenerate tissues that completely resemble tissues in their natural form. Conclusion: The future of stem cell therapy in dental applications looks promising. The predictability and efficacy of outcomes, as well as safety concerns of stem cell therapy is yet to be fully established. Ongoing research and development of newer scaffolds, understanding various signaling molecules and their cues, understanding gene expression and proteomics of stem cells are the future directions that will take us a step forward to achieving successful regeneration.