Tooth Repair and Regeneration: Potential of Dental Stem Cells.

Tooth defects are an extremely common health condition that affects millions of individuals. Currently used dental repair treatments include fillings for caries, endodontic treatment for pulp necrosis, and dental implants to replace missing teeth, all of which rely on the use of synthetic materials. By contrast, the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine and dentistry (TERMD) use biologically based therapeutic strategies for vital tissue regeneration, and thus have the potential to regenerate living tissues. Methods to create bioengineered replacement teeth benefit from a detailed understanding of the molecular signaling networks regulating natural tooth development. We discuss how key signaling pathways regulating natural tooth development are being exploited for applications in TERMD approaches for vital tooth regeneration. The importance of oral health, and its essential link to systemic health, is a serious health concern worldwide. Current therapies used to repair craniomaxillofacial (CMF) defects largely rely on the use of synthetic materials that lack many essential features of natural CMF tissues. The ability to regenerate living, hard and soft dental tissues to repair dental tissues damaged by disease, trauma, genetic, and other disorders would be a significant improvement over the currently used methods. Recent progress in the TERMD field has helped to devise more effective methods to regenerate vital dental tissues. Novel TERMD therapies are anticipated to significantly improve our ability to effectively repair CMF tissues. These new therapies are anticipated to have a significant impact on the dental therapeutics market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]