Are stem cells effective in regeneration of mineralized tissues?

Objective: The sources of adult mesenchimal stem cells (MSC) can be used for various therapeutical purposes. Thus, their use in tissue regeneration and repairment of mineralized tissue pathologies can be a possibility. A systematic review was conducted to explore the current evidence about the regeneration of mineralized tissue using stem cells in animal models with a view to evaluate potential benefits of this therapeutic intervention.

Method: Pubmed database was used for a systematic search combining the selected key-words and MeSH terms related to stem cells; mineralized tissue; enamel; dentin; cementum; bone and regeneration in a pre-determined search strategy. Inclusion criteria were articles written in English language and related to comparison between conventional/absence of treatment and use of MSC in regeneration of mineralized tissue. Exclusion criteria were in vitro studies and narrative reviews of the literature.

Result: The search initially showed 159 articles; however, only three papers were accepted for data extraction. 156 articles were excluded because neither compared stem cells and other therapeutic/control intervention for mineralized tissue regeneration nor contained information about mineralized tissue. The selected articles included in this review suggested good efficacy in bone regeneration compared to absence of treatment, when MSC were used.  It was also observed that there were no articles related to enamel, dentin and cementum regeneration.

Conclusion: The use of MSC seems to be promising in bone regeneration comparatively to the physiological reparation.