| Abstrakt: |
Stem cells are the body's "master" cells that regenerate the body's many cells, tissues, and organs. Most cells in your body can only make new cells of the same type-blood cells make blood cells, skin cells make more skins cells and so on. Stem cells are unique not only because they can turn into many different types of cells - a stem cell might create blood, kidney, heart, or bone for example - but also because they can divide many more times than other cells. In dentistry, tissue engineering is also considered to be a new frontier in the regeneration of missing oral tissues/organs. For example, various degrees of alveolar bone resorption occur after tooth loss/extraction because of periodontal disease, severe caries, root fractures or accidental trauma. In addition, the bone resorption in the residual ridge, particularly in the mandible, continues throughout life in many edentulous patients. The severe bone resorption in edentulous areas makes it difficult to restore the missing teeth with dental implants or denture treatment. Therefore, stem cell and tissue engineering therapies are expected to provide a novel capability to regenerate large defects in periodontal tissues and alveolar bone, and to ultimately replace the lost tooth itself. The tissues and organs targeted for such regenerative medicine strategies in dentistry include the salivary gland, tongue and craniofacial skeletal muscles, as well as the condylar cartilage of the temporomandibular joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
