Stem Cells From Deciduous Teeth Help Regrow Dental Tissue

Results from a clinical trial led by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and the Fourth Military Medicine University in Xi’an, China, highlight the potential of stem cells from deciduous teeth to regrow living tissue in teeth damaged by trauma. Published in Science Translational Medicine, the paper, “Deciduous Autologous Tooth Stem Cells Regenerate Dental Pulp After Implantation Into Injured Teeth,” suggests an alternative to apexification — which encourages root development, but does not replace tissue lost from an injury affecting an immature permanent tooth.

The trial focused on 40 children who had injured one of their permanent incisors and still had primary teeth. Consisting of 10 subjects, the control group received apexification, while 30 subjects assigned to human deciduous pulp stem cell (hDPSC) treatment had tissue extracted from a healthy deciduous tooth. The stem cells from the pulp were reproduced in a laboratory culture, and the resulting cells were implanted into the injured tooth. Compared to controls, the children who received hDPSCs had more signs of healthy root development. In addition, they also had thicker dentin and increased blood flow, and were reported to have regained some sensation.

From Decisions in Dentistry. October 2018;4(10):8.