Oral stem cells include oral epithelial stem cells and oral mesenchymal stem cells. These cells can be isolated from oral tissues including teeth and their surrounding or supporting structures. In daily dental clinical practice there are many oral tissues which are wasted from patients. There are millions of teeth which are disposed from clinics/hospitals as waste each year. However, the teeth and their surrounding tissues are not useless because scientists can get stem cells from them. Especially the baby teeth are more important because they can provide high quality stem cells. From the pulp of third molar tooth scientists can easily obtain oral mesenchymal stem cells. The tissue attached to the surface of wisdom tooth also provides stem cells. These oral stem cells are not only important in regenerative dentistry but also used in regenerative medicine.
Let’s talk about the current research about oral stem cells. Stem cells help in organ formation. In all organisms, all the tissues appeared from pleuripotent embryonic stem cells. These embryonic stem cells differentiate into multipotent stem cells including epithelial, mesenchymal and other tissue specific stem cells. Interactions among the cells initiate and regulate processes which form highly specialised functional tissues and organs like your tooth, hair follicle, lungs, kidneys and other tubular organs. As the organism matures, the pleuripotent embryonic stem cells are vanished and some multipotent adult stem cells remain in the developed tissue to sustain the other structures and repairing injuries. Adult epithelial and mesenchymal stem cells remain in oral tissue. From dental pulp, gums and periodontal ligament, scientists can obtain mesenchymal stem cells. During the past two decades, researchers have found that oral stems have potential for the regeneration of tissues and organs. For example oral epithelial stem cells have been demonstrated to repair cornea of the eye and lining of food pipe in patients. Oral mesenchymal stem cells have a lot more applications in both regenerative dentistry and regenerative medicine. They have the capacity to give rise to cells that can help in the regeneration of dental pulp, periodontal tissue, neuron, muscle, bone, cartilage, liver, heart, pancreas and blood vessels.
To preserve your or your family member’s stem cells, contact your nearest dentist who will guide you regarding stem cell banking. Clinic has a Dental Sampling Kit. The Kit is designed to ensure safe transportation of the tooth, in ideal conditions, till such time as it reaches the laboratory. On the day of collection, the dentist in Clinic will perform the procedure. The collected tooth will be placed in the dental sampling kit with your details marked on it. The paramedic will collect the blood sample and place it in the dental sampling kit. This dental sampling kit is then carefully packed by the paramedic and will ensure its courier to the laboratory for future use.