Published online Jun 26, 2014. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v4.i2.99
Revised: January 1, 2014
Accepted: March 13, 2014
Published online: June 26, 2014
Generally, the dental pulp needs to be removed when it is infected, and root canal therapy (RCT) is usually required in which infected dental pulp is replaced with inorganic materials (paste and gutta percha). This treatment approach ultimately brings about a dead tooth. However, pulp vitality is extremely important to the tooth itself, since it provides nutrition and acts as a biosensor to detect the potential pathogenic stimuli. Despite the reported clinical success rate, RCT-treated teeth are destined to be devitalized, brittle and susceptible to postoperative fracture. Recently, the advances and achievements in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine have inspired novel biological approaches to apexogenesis in young patients suffering from pulpitis or periapical periodontitis. This review mainly focuses on the benchtop and clinical regeneration of root apex mediated by adult stem cells. Moreover, current strategies for infected pulp therapy are also discussed here.
Core tip: Compared with traditional root canal therapy, stem cell-based therapies initiate a new approach to treating dental pulp diseases. The development of teeth depends on many kinds of stem cells and some of which still exist after the formation of the root, creating a chance for the tooth to regenerate itself when it stops developing due to infection or trauma. This article provides an interesting view on the benchtop and clinical regeneration of root apex mediated by adult stem cells. Moreover, current strategies for infected pulp therapy are also discussed.