Therapeutic Potential of Stem Cells From Human Exfoliated Deciduous Teeth(Shed)- A Review

Abstract

Stem cells are groups of undifferentiated cells that have the ability to become any cell. Recent studies
have shown that the stem cells present in the pulp of human teeth can also be used for the same purpose.
Stem cell therapy is a safe procedure. The physician must follow proper cell administration techniques.
Patients must also be screened for treatment candidacy as all people may not be a candidate for stem cells.
Dental pulp stem cells are stem cells present in the dental pulp, which is the soft living tissue within teeth.
They are pluripotent, as they can form embryoid body-like structures in vitro and teratoma-like structures
that contained tissues derived from all three embryonic germ layers when injected in nude mice. Recent
advancements prove that stem cells from exfoliated deciduous teeth prove more effective than the permanent
ones. In a clinical trial stem cells extracted from children’s baby teeth were used to regrow the living tissue
in teeth damaged by injury. In the future they may be used to replace cells and tissues that have been
damaged or lost due to disease. The review has covered various aspects to find if SHED is a potent product.
Its viability and sustention as discussed by various authors has been discussed. Role of SHED in pulp tissue
engineering, neural tissue engineering, their differentiation towards hormone secreting cells etc has been
discussed. Hence the stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth also present another opportunity to
dentistry to contribute to the development of tissue engineering.