Stem Cell Therapy and Tooth Regeneration - A Review

Tooth development results from sequential and reciprocal interactions between the oral epithelium and the underlying neural crest derived mesenchyme. The generation of dental structures and/or entire teeth in the laboratory depends upon the manipulation of stem cells and requires a synergy of all cellular and molecular events that finally lead to the formation of tooth specific hard tissues, dentin and enamel. The odontogenic potential resides in the oral epithelium and thus epithelial stem cells are necessary for both the initiation of tooth formation and enamel matrix production. This review focuses on the re-growth of teeth in vitro and their relative efficiency by using stem cells from different sources.