Authors: Kayla Crowley, Vincent S. Gallicchio.
Tooth decay is an extremely common problem throughout the nation. As individuals pass the age of 20 years old, 90% have had some form of tooth decay. Along with this, more than 1 in 4 people have untreated tooth decay in the United States. When tooth decay is left untreated, an infection or trauma can often result in needing a root canal, and many other health problems. An average of 25 million root canals are performed every year, with around 40,000 being performed each day. Root canal treatment can result in pain or infection, as well as a weakened tooth that will be lost later in life. Due to the tooth pulp not being able to regenerate, there are many research studies being carried out to find a permanent and effective treatment. Mesenchymal and dental pulp stem cells are a large interest at this time due to their wide range of abilities to regenerate dentine and pulp in a tooth with necrotic tissue. While stem cells found in oral tissue are currently being studied in-vivo as well as in-vitro, the main focus is on producing the necessary types of stem cells for full dental tissue regeneration leading to complete re-gain of function. This review outlines the findings from recent years with stem cell usage in regeneration within the oral cavity.
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