Abstract:
Introduction: Tooth loss compromises human oral health. Although several prosthetic methods, such
as artificial denture and dental implants, are clinical therapies to tooth loss problems, they are thought to
have safety and usage time issues. Probably, development of stem cell research will, over time, transform
dental practice in a magnitude for greater than did dental implants. Recently, tooth tissue engineering has
attracted more and more attention. Stem cell based tissue engineering is thought to be a promising way
to replace the missing tooth. This review outlines the recent progress in mesenchymal stem cell research
and use in tooth regeneration, oral and craniofacial applications.
Methods: The study was effectuated on 25 extracted pigs teeth aged between 2-3 months. The cells
were obtained from dental pulp fermentation in 0,25% dispase I for 10 min at 37 °C. The cells were cultivated in 24 well in triplicate, in DMEM, 10% FBS, 5%C02, 96% humidity, 37°C.
Results: The cells were cultivated in 0,5xl06 per well, in 24 well culture dish during five days. At the
end of this period cells were colored by Romanovski and counted under the light microscope. The number of the cells after seven days cultivation were: 4,5 millions in one ml. of suspension.
Conclusions: Despite the rapid findings and wealth of data provided by in vitro and in vivo approaches in the field of dental regeneration, further research studies are required before pulp regeneration and
even tooth restoration can be applied in dentistry. However, all data also confirm a realistic feasibility
of dental tissue repair in the near future. It is obvious that our knowledge in dental tissue engineering
expands rapidly. Stem cells from a tiny amount of tissue, such as the dental pulp, can be multiplied or
expanded potentially to sufficient numbers for healing large, clinically relevant defects. Stem cells can differentiate into multiple cell lineages, thus providing the possibility that a common (stem) cell source can
heal many tissues in the same patient, as opposed to the principle of harvesting healthy tissue to heal like
tissue in association with autologous tissue grafting. Referring to previous findings, future experiments
should be focused on the design of a highly sophisticated biological based scaffold system, which would
greatly improve tooth viability and health maintenance in dentistry.
