Advantages and Limitations of Oral Stem Cell use for Oral Tissue Replacement

The oral cavity is the richest stem cell source in the human body. Oral stem cells are indeed found in dental pulp, exfoliated deciduous teeth, periodontal ligaments, the apical papilla, dental follicles, gingival epithelial tissue, and gingival connective tissue. These oral stem cell populations have common cell properties including the capacity for self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation potential giving rise to odontogenic, osteogenic, chondrogenic, adipogenic, myogenic, and neurogenic cell types. Because the oral cavity is so accessible, oral stem cell extraction is easy. These stem cells are now recognized as being vital to different types of dental tissue regeneration, such as that of dentine and periodontal ligaments following injury, thus emphasizing the potential use of these oral stem cells in regenerative medicine. This involves stem cell recruitment or seeding at the injured site, or a combination with appropriate biocompatible scaffolds for tissue engineering. Such initiatives may provide specific innovative dental tissue restoration strategies using the patient's own oral stem cells. This review focuses on identifying the main available stem cells in the oral cavity and their potential use for basic and clinical applications. We will also highlight the potential limitations that may reduce the clinical use of oral stem cells as tissue regeneration therapy.