Ottoman surgeons defined teeth as “the most beautiful gems of the body” and thought that extraction was the last resort, since they were not replaced. These beautiful ores of our body have shown once again how special and important they are today, not only in terms of aesthetics, function or phonation, but also with another treasure they contain: Stem Cells.
One of the greatest advances in medicine in the 20th century is the discovery of stem cells. Stem cells; They are cells that have the ability to regenerate and transform into organs and tissues by mitosis, mostly found in multicellular organisms. These cells can form new cells by transforming into various specialized cells.
Although stem cells are mostly obtained from cord blood, stem cells can also be obtained from milk teeth, healthy premolars or wisdom teeth extracted for orthodontic purposes.
In general, there are two types of mammalian stem cells. The first of these is embryonic stem cells found in the blastocyst, and the other is adult stem cells found in adult tissues. In a developing embryo, stem cells can develop into all specialized embryonic tissues. In adult organisms, stem cells are involved in the repair of body cells. Embryonic stem cells are obtained from the baby cord. The stem cells obtained are stored at -196 degrees in special laboratories and then used when needed.
Dental stem cells are another type of mesenchymal stem cells. The advantage of dental stem cells over baby cord is that they can be obtained in the process up to 12 years of age. Even in adults who are 20 years old, stem cells can be obtained and these cells can be stored. Since dental stem cells are of mesenchymal origin, they have the potential to transform into bone, cartilage, heart, muscle and nerve cells and tissues, which are other mesenchymal cells.
Although the preservation of cord blood cells dates back to 20 years ago, dental stem cells have been preserved since 2000. As a result of experiments carried out on animals in various research centers around the world, the potential of mesenchymal stem cells in teeth to heal difficult-to-treat diseases such as heart diseases, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, paralysis due to spinal cord injury; At the same time, the hope that it can be used in bone restructuring, tooth formation, gingival and jaw diseases and rejuvenating and renewing connective organs such as cartilage, fat and muscle has increased the importance of dental stem cells.
