ABSTRACT
Each year approximately $400 billion is spent treating Americans suffering some type of tissue loss or end-stage organ failure. This includes millions of dental and oral craniofacial procedure, ranging from tooth restorations to major reconstruction of facial soft and mineralized tissue. Recently, a population of putative post-natal stem cells in human dental pulp (DPSCs) has been identified within the "cell- rich zone" of dental pulp. The other type of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) was identified to be a population of highly proliferative, clonogenic cells. Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs) can not only be derived from a very accessible tissue resource like SHED but are also capable of providing enough cells for potential cell-based therapies.