Abstract

PERIODONTAL LIGAMENT STEM CELLS: REDEFINING THE FUTURE OF TISSUE REGENERATION

*Dr. Deepthi Cherian and Dr. M.M Dayakar

Abstract

The goal of periodontal therapy is the arrest of periodontal disease progression and regeneration of structures that are lost to disease. Osseous grafting and Guided Tissue Regeneration (GTR) are widely used techniques. The success of these approaches has been limited as a result of insufficient biocompatibility, resorption of bone and donorsite morbidity. Tissue engineering provides an alternative approach to current treatments. It regenerates living and functional dental structures. A critical component of it is the choice of stem cell population. Stem cells are the cells that are capable of self replicating and are able to differentiate into atleast two different types of cells. In dental structures, mesenchymal stem cells are obtained from the dental pulp , gingiva, dental follicle and periodontal ligament. Stem cells of periodontal ligament are activated following damage to the periodontium. They undergo terminal differentiation into ligament forming cells which secure the connections between the cementum and the adjacent alveolar bone. Periodontal ligament cells were found to generate clonogenic adherent cell colonies. Differentiation assays suggests that these cells exhibit unique properties compared with other mesenchymal stem cells. In this article an overview of periodontal ligament stem cells and its potential for use in periodontal regeneration is discussed.

Keywords: periodontal ligament stem cells, tissue engineering.