Stem Cells in Deciduous Teeth ­ Their Potential use in Medicine

ABSTRACT

The potency and quality of adult stem cells in our body is reversely proportional to our age. When stem cells were discovered in deciduous teeth, it has drawn much attention to the dental and medical fields. Because these cells are normally from children shedding teeth around ages 6-12, they are relatively more immature stem cells. The isolated stem cells from the pulp of deciduous teeth were named SHED (stem cells from exfoliated deciduous teeth) [1]. As other dental stem cells, SHED are a type of typical mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) expressing CD146, CD105, CD73, CD29 and CD44; as well as expressing embryonic stem (ES) cell markers OCT4, NANOG, stage-specific embryonic antigens (SSEA-3, SSEA-4) and tumor recognition antigens (TRA-1-60 and TRA-1-81) [2].