Stem Cells in Periodontal Therapy

Abstract

Periodontitis is a multifactorial disease resulting in progressive destruction of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone with pocket formation, recession or both. Once the destruction is started, periodontium has a very limited capacity for regeneration. So the gold standard for any periodontal therapy is to regenerate the affected tissue to their original architecture and function. One such method is the identification of putative mesenchymal stem cell population within the periodontium, which is used to treat the damage caused by the periodontal disease. Stem cells are designed functionally as cells that have the capacity to self renew- as well as ability to generate differentiated cells. Various studies have confirmed the presence of stem cells in the different parts of the tooth like pulp, periodontal ligament, tips of developing roots, and the tissues that surrounds the unerupted tooth. This review provides an overview of various types of stem cells in dentistry and their potential uses especially pertaining to periodontal regeneration.

Keywords

• dental pulp stem cells
• gtr
• totipotent cell
• pluripotent cell
• multipotent cell
• unipotent cell.