Stem Cells: Future in Regenerative Pediatric Dentistry

Humans actually share this ability with animals like Starfish and Newt (aquatic amphibian). Our bodies are constantly regenerating blood, skin and other tissues. The identity of the powerful cells that allow us to regenerate some tissues was first revealed in 1950s when experiments with bone marrow established the existence of stem cells in our bodies and led to the development of bone marrow transplantation, a therapy now widely used in medicine.The dental pulp contains the progenitor/stem cells which have self-renewal capability, multi-lineage differentiation capacity and clonogenic efficiency. Dental stem cells can generate many types of tissues including bone, nerve, cartilage, teeth and fat. However, the biology of these mysterious cells is yet to be understood and a lot more basic research is needed before new therapies using stem-cell-differentiated derivatives can be applied.Hence in this publication we attempt to study the history of dental stem cells, characterization of the stem cells in dentin regeneration, stem cell therapy in dentistry with special reference to Pediatric Dentistry.