Collection and culture of stem cells derived from dental pulp of deciduous teeth: Technique and clinical case report

Alan Araujo de JESUS, Milena Botelho Pereira SOARES, Ana Prates SOARES, Renata Campos NOGUEIRA, Elisalva Teixeira GUIMARÃES, Telma Martins de ARAUJO, Ricardo Ribeiro dos SANTOS

Introduction: Stem cells (SCs) are capable of inducing tissue regeneration and are, therefore, potentially therapeutic. Similarly to bone marrow and umbilical cords, dental pulp is one of the available sources of SCs. The fact that these cells are easily accessible and that deciduous teeth are not vital organs, and are normally discarded after exfoliation, make them particularly attractive for use in safety and viability tests. Objective: To describe the collection, isolation and culture of SCs obtained from the pulp of deciduous teeth as well as their characterization by flow cytometry, and the induction of differentiation into osteogenic and adipogenic lineages. Methods: SCs were obtained in a relatively straightforward manner and showed good proliferative capacity, even from a small amount of pulp tissue. Results: Analysis by flow cytometry confirmed the characteristics of mesenchymal SCs with low expression of CD34 and CD45 antigens, which are markers for hematopoietic cells, and high levels of expression of CD105, CD166, CD90 and CD73 antigens, which are markers for mesenchymal SCs. Cell plasticity was confirmed by identifying calcium deposits in cultures that received osteogenic medium, and intracellular lipid accumulation in adipogenic cultures that received adipogenic medium. Conclusions: SCs collected from deciduous teeth show promising potential for application in tissue regeneration. Therefore, it is important that knowledge about the existence and characteristics of this source of stem cells be disseminated among dentists and that the technique, its limitations and possible indications are highlighted and discussed.

Keywords: Stem cells. Tissue therapy. Cell culture techniques. Deciduous teeth.

How to cite: Jesus AA, Soares MBP, Soares AP, Nogueira RC, Guimarães ET, Araujo TM, Santos RR. Coleta e cultura de células-tronco obtidas da polpa de dentes decíduos: técnica e relato de caso clínico. Dental Press J Orthod. 2011 Nov-Dec;16(6):111-8.

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