We are thrilled to report an exciting development in stem cell research: the first human study using dental stem cells was published November 12th in the European Cells and Materials journal! This is great news for our National Dental Pulp Laboratory, which stores dental stem cells and has long believed in their potential for future medical use.
In the study, patients had wisdom teeth that were impacted, which caused bone loss (resorption) at the site of impaction. Because the bone defect would not repair on its own after the wisdom teeth were removed, the researchers used a mixture of dental pulp stem cells harvested from the patient’s non-impacted, upper wisdom teeth and placed them onto a “scaffold” made of collagen sponge. This mixture was then used to fill in the injured areas that were left when the impacted teeth were removed from the lower jaw. (The upper jaw area served as a control, or comparison, area—no dental stem cells were used there).
Three months after treatment, bone had completely regenerated at the injury site and the periodontal tissue had been restored. Optimal bone regeneration was seen in the seven patients who returned for the one year follow up. The investigators concluded that this clinical study demonstrates that dental stem cells and a collagen sponge scaffold can completely restore bone defects in the human jaw and indicates that these cells have the potential to repair and/or regenerate tissues and organs
Previously, jaw defects had been repaired using dental stem cells in an animal model only—never in humans. In fact, no dental stem cell therapies have ever been shown in humans. As you can guess, this bone grafting study is very exciting for all of us who believe in the future promise of dental stem cell therapies—whether a dental stem cell banking facility like our own NDPL, or individuals who want to preserve their own or their children’s pulp in order to have a source of stem cells that they might be able to put to use for future medical needs.
Tags: Dental Pulp, human study, NDPL, wisdom teeth
