Role of stem cell in treatment of various dental and systemic diseases

Abstract

Stem cells are cells that have the ability to continuously divide and produce progeny that differentiate into various other types of cells or types of tissues. In the battle to fight against diseases, stem cells present potencies to repair tissues by cell therapy and tissue regeneration. The study of stem cells turns to be a major frontier in 21th century biology and medicine. Recently, dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs) have been isolated from dental pulp tissue of adult permanent teeth and deciduous teeth, respectively. The present article highlights the origin and class-ification of stem cells with their applications in the field of medicine and dentistry. Despite promising scientific results with genetically modified stem cells, some major problems remain to be overcome. Strategies that combine gene targeting with embryonic stem cellbased therapy are thus potential novel therapeutic options. Further research is essential to determine the full potential of both adult and embryonic stem cells in this exciting new field.