Cell-Free Approaches for Dental Pulp Tissue Engineering

Abstract

In past years, both cell transplantation and cell homing have been explored for dental pulp tissue engineering. Sufficient evidence shows that after cell transplantation, the regeneration of a functional dentin-pulp complex is possible. A new milestone was reached recently. The concept has now been evaluated in clinical studies. However, the approach is afflicted with high efforts and operating expenses; thus cell homing might be a viable alternative. In this article, the latest developments on the recruitment of resident stem cells by dentin-derived growth factors in injectable fibrin-based scaffold materials will be discussed.

Keywords: Cell homing; dental pulp; dental pulp stem cells; dentin matrix proteins; scaffold; tissue engineering.