Stem cells - The powerhouse of tissue engineering

Abstract

Periodontal tissue rebuilding is one of the major processes, involving the regeneration of the periodontal ligament, cementum, and bone, the periodontium’s three principal structures. This approach to bone and periodontal regeneration combines three key elements to enhance regeneration: Cells, Scaffolds, and Signaling molecules. When applying tissue engineering strategies the source of the cell is a crucial factor to consider to restore lost functions and tissues. Through a process of asymptomatic mitosis, differentiation and self-renewal are both possible to result from stem cells. That lead to two daughter cells and are capable of differentiation into more mature cells. In this review, the classification of cells, that is, totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent, adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells, and the various dental stem cells that have the capacity for selfrenewal and multilineage differentiation potential has been discussed. The different cell storage methodologies to maintain the viability of these cells such as cryopreservation, magnetic freezing, and tooth stem cell banking as well as the recent advances in stem cell engineering such as induced pluripotent cells, cell sheet engineering, bio tooth, and hybrid tooth have been discussed. The biological, technical, and clinical challenges associated with cell based approach and future perspectives have been considered in the review.