Dental pulp stem cells and banking of teeth as a lifesaving therapeutic vista

Abstract

Exfoliated deciduous or an extracted healthy adult tooth can be used to harvest, process, and cryogenically preserve dental pulp stem cells. Future stem cell-based regenerative medicine methods could benefit significantly from these mesenchymal stem cells. Teeth serve as a substantial source of mesenchymal stem cells, otherwise disposed of as medical waste. Care should be taken to store this treasure trove of stem cells. Collective responsibility of patients, dentists, and physicians is necessary to ensure that this valuable resource is not wasted and that every possible dental pulp stem cell is available for use in the future. The dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) inside teeth represent a significant future source of stem cells for regenerative medicine procedures. This review describes the ontogeny, the laboratory processing and collection, and isolation methods of DPSC. This review also discusses currently available stem cell banking facilities and their potential use in regenerative medicine procedures in dental and general medical applications in the future.