Tissue Regeneration using Dental Stem Cells

Tissues from oral cavity contain different active populations of stem cells with a mesenchymal phenotype. Unlike other types of mesenchymal stem cells, dental stem cells originate from the neural crest and are lineage related with peripheral nerve glial progenitor cells, which places them in a privileged position to mediate regeneration of both connective and nerve tissues. Teeth, for example, serve as a substantial source of stem cells, otherwise disposed of as medical waste. The dental mesenchymal stem cells are capable of extensive proliferation and differentiation and can be obtained from extracted vital teeth (Dental Pulp Stem Cells, DPSC) or exfoliated deciduous teeth (Stem cells from Human Exfoliated Deciduous teeth, SHED). Several other types of human dental stem cells have been identified, such as DFPC, Dental Follicle Progenitor Cells; PDLSC, Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells; SCAP, Stem Cells from Apical Papilla, GMSC, Gingival Mesenchymal Stem Cell and hPCy-MSC, Human Peri Apical Cyst Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Dental stem cells have been shown to have great potential to regenerate tissue such as bone, the cornea, fat, muscle, nerve, liver, dental pulp and treat diseases such as type 1 diabetes, myocardial infarction, Parkinson’s disease, chronic wounds, autoimmune disease, dental caries etc.

Although dental mesenchymal stem cells are a promising cell sources for numerous and varied regenerative medicine applications, our current understanding is limited, and their therapeutic applications need to be further explored and developed. In this special issue, editors would like to invite interested researchers to submit original research articles (in vitro and/or in vivo), Review, Mini Review and Systematic Review papers (including Scoping Review, Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) and Brief Research Reports, although relevant articles of any type will be considered, on tissue regeneration using
dental tissue derived mesenchymal cells that have the stem cell properties.

Articles covering the subtopics below are encouraged:
 Any type of tissue regeneration study (in vitro and/or in vivo) using dental tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells with or without the use of scaffold.
 Molecular mechanisms of dental stem cell differentiation into any type of specialized cells.
 Reviews emphasizing the analysis of the results of clinical trial, in vivo or in vitro studies that used dental stem cells for tissue regeneration.
 Extraction and characterization protocols for
dental stem cells, the importance of dental stem cell bank etc.