PUBLISHED RESEARCH 2004

Abstract: Scientific advances in the creation of restorative biomaterials, in vitro cell culture technology, tissue grafting, tissue engineering, molecular biology, and the human genome project provide the basis for the introduction of new technologies into dentistry. This review is intended to facilitate the development of stem cell therapy for use with established therapeutic modalities to restore and regenerate oral tissues. Teeth have been shown to mineralize in response to injury for many decades, but only in recent years has the position of the stem cells been localized around blood vessels. The cells have been identified as myofibroblastoid pericytes. The ability to control the differentiation and proliferation of these cells is being examined to create stem cell therapies that can solve dental problems more effectively than current treatment regimes. Although the problems of introducing these technologies are substantial, the potential benefits to patients and the profession are equally promising - a cure for caries and diseases, a cure for oral cancer, correction of congenital defects, and the regeneration of teeth and tissues to restore oral functions. The purpose of this review is to describe how these new technologies can most usefully be employed in dentistry to enable clinicians to satisfy patient demand for a nondefective dentition.

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to investigate the localization of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) by comparing the characteristics of cultured dental pulp cells in coronal and root pulp.
METHODS: Human dental coronal and root pulp cells were cultured in tissue-explant method, the cell culture successfulness, attachment efficiency, cell viality, morphology, proliferation pattern, and the mineralization ability were observed, the localization of DPSCs was investigated in the functional respect of DPSCs.
RESULTS: The human dental root pulp cells have more culture successfulness,more attachment efficiency,more cell viality, more primary characteristics, and stronger induced mineralization ability than that of coronal pulp cells. Root and coronal pulp cells showed same proliferation patterns.
CONCLUSIONS: DPSCs may exist in both dental root and coronal pulp, and the density of DPSCs in the root pulp may be higher than the coronal pulp.