Regenerative Endodontics

The clinical success rates of endodontic treatments can exceed 90%. However, many teeth are not given the opportunity to be saved by endodontic treatment and instead are extracted, with subsequent placement of an artificial prosthesis, such as an implant. Regenerative endodontic methods have the potential for regenerating both pulp and dent in tissues and therefore may offer an alternative method to save teeth that may have compromised structural integrity. Several developmental issues have been described to accomplish endodontic regeneration. Each one of the regenerative techniques has advantages and disadvantages, and some of the techniques are hypothetical or at an early stage of development. The available case reports of pulp revascularization were generally reported on young patients (with high stem cell populations) and teeth with open apices. However, for regenerative endodontic procedures to be widely available and predictable, endodontists will have to depend on tissue engineering therapies to regenerate pulp dent in tissue. The proposed therapies involving stem cells, growth factors, & tissue engineering all require pulp revascularizaton, in itself an enormous challenge.