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World J Stem Cells. Aug 26, 2015; 7(7): 1047-1053
Published online Aug 26, 2015. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v7.i7.1047
Stem cells: Sources, and regenerative therapies in dental research and practice
Lobna Abdel Aziz Aly
Lobna Abdel Aziz Aly, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Future University, Cairo 11759, Egypt
Author contributions: Aly LAA solely contributed to this work.
Conflict-of-interest statement: None.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Lobna Abdel Aziz Aly, Associate Professor, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Future University, 90th st, New Cairo, Cairo 11759, Egypt. lobna72@gmail.com
Telephone: +2-2-26701496
Received: July 27, 2014
Peer-review started: July 27, 2014
First decision: August 14, 2014
Revised: June 21, 2015
Accepted: July 7, 2015
Article in press: July 9, 2015
Published online: August 26, 2015
Abstract

Stem cells are considered to be among the principle scientific breakthroughs of the twentieth century for the future of medicine, and considered to be an important weapon to fight against diseases, particularly those that have resisted the efforts of science for a long time. Human dental tissues have limited potentials to regenerate but the discovery of dental stem cells have developed new and surprising scenario in regenerative dentistry. Stem cell treatments are one example of the possibility using adult cells sourced from patients’ own bodies’ means that it can be expected that in the near future such treatments may become routine at dental practices. The hope is that it will become possible to regenerate bone and dental tissues including the periodontal ligament, dental pulp and enamel, and that the creation of new teeth may also become feasible. In view of this possibility of achieving restoration with regenerative medicine, it can be considered that a new era of dentistry is beginning. Thus the aim of this review is to give dental professionals a brief overview of different stem cells sources and the latest findings and their implications for improving oral health and treating certain conditions of the human mouth and face.

Keywords: Stem cells, Regeneration, Dental research

Core tip: Stem cells are considered to be among the principle scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century. Human dental tissue has limited potentials to regenerate but the discovery of dental stem cells have developed new and surprising scenario in regenerative dentistry. The hope is that it will become possible to regenerate bone and dental tissues and that the creation of new teeth may become feasible. Thus our review gives dental professionals a brief overview of different stem cells sources and the latest findings and their implications for improving oral health and treating certain conditions of the human mouth and face.