In the medical community, stem cell research is one of the latest innovations for treating disease and understanding the complexities of human health. Before scientists discovered that stem cells existed in teeth, stem cell extraction was less accessible because stem cells are normally found deep inside the body’s tissues.
As you already know, many tissues in the human body contain stem cells. However, stem cells found in teeth resemble surrounding cell structures unlike other stem cell sources. In addition, the abundance and accessibility of stem cells in teeth has made stem cell extraction much more affordable. Studies have shown that dental stem cells are more powerful than other stem cells; they replicate more quickly and for a longer period of time than other types of stem cells.
New research from Japan and Israel has provided the medical and dental community with a more pronounced idea of dental stem cell importance. In Japan, researchers were able to regenerate mandible bones in dogs by implanting dental stem cells from the dog’s offspring. Israeli researchers are currently conducting trials that involve using human stem cells to regenerate myocardial tissue in laboratory rats.
How Dentists Can Offer Stem Cell Extraction Services to Their Patients
Baby (deciduous) teeth, wisdom teeth, and gingival fibroblasts all contain stem cells. In fact, the entire oral cavity is packed with valuable cellular structures. Dentists around the country who are aware of this emerging trend in medical research utilize companies to save and store their patients’ stem cells. For example, a prominent company, Stem Save offers storage facilities for these cells. When dentists extract baby teeth or wisdom teeth, the living tissues are kept alive during transportation to Stem Save laboratories where technicians then extract stem cells from the teeth. Once extracted, the cells are saved in cryogenic storage facilities. For patients, their stem cells are kept alive and healthy for years to come. As we learn more about the medicinal applications of stem cells, it seems likely that patients will greatly benefit from stem cell extraction and storage services.
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