Prospects for tooth regeneration.

Regenerative dental medicine uses an integrated sciences approach, involving developmental and molecular/cellular biology, molecular genetics and chemical engineering (5, 25, 28, 30, 41, 62, 65, 75). Recent advances in the fields of dental tissue engineering, materials science and stem cell biology, suggest that tooth regeneration will be possible in the foreseeable future. Published reports have demonstrated that dental tissue progenitor cells present in the pulp tissue of deciduous and adult teeth can be used to generate dentin and alveolar bone (59, 84), while those present in immature tooth buds can be used to bioengineer small, anatomically correct, whole tooth crowns consisting of enamel, dentin and pulp tissue (13, 81-83). These promising results, along with many other studies reporting dental tissue regeneration, suggest a means for the eventual regeneration of replacement teeth in humans. However, before this can occur, certain obstacles must first be overcome. Below, we will review recent progress in tooth-regeneration efforts to date, and identify challenges that must be met in order for this approach to reach clinical relevance in humans.