How Baby Teeth and Wisdom Teeth Are Revolutionizing Medicine
The key to repairing our bodies, from brains to bones, may be hiding in our mouths.
Imagine if the baby teeth your children lost or the wisdom teeth you had extracted held the power to repair damaged tissues, reverse degenerative diseases, and regenerate lost bone. This isn't science fiction—it's the cutting edge of regenerative medicine, where dental stem cells are emerging as unexpected heroes in the quest to heal the human body.
Deep within our teeth lie special cells with extraordinary abilities. Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) reside in the core of permanent teeth, while their more versatile cousins, stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED), are found in baby teeth. These cellular powerhouses were discovered relatively recently—SHED were first identified in 2003—but have since opened new frontiers in medicine 7 .
What makes these cells so remarkable is their multipotent differentiation capacity—they can transform into various cell types including bone, nerve, cartilage, and fat cells 7 . Unlike controversial embryonic stem cells, dental stem cells pose minimal ethical concerns and can be obtained with minimal invasiveness during routine dental procedures 7 .
Their neural crest origin makes them particularly suitable for nerve-related therapies
In 2025, researchers at Golestan University of Medical Sciences achieved a significant milestone by establishing a standardized SHED cell line—a crucial step toward consistent, reproducible therapies 7 . Let's examine how they transformed a single donated baby tooth into a renewable medical resource.
The process began with a healthy exfoliated deciduous molar from a 12-year-old donor, obtained with informed consent. The research team followed these meticulous steps:
The tooth surface was thoroughly cleaned, and the pulp tissue was carefully extracted from within the tooth chambers 7 .
Rather than using enzymatic digestion, the researchers placed small pulp tissue fragments directly into culture flasks, allowing cells to migrate out naturally—a gentler approach that better preserves cell viability 7 .
The outgrown cells were monitored, passaged, and rigorously tested to confirm their stem cell properties and functionality 7 .
The newly established SHED cell line demonstrated excellent stem cell characteristics, including:
The cells showed the classic spindle-shaped, fibroblast-like appearance typical of mesenchymal stem cells 7
The cell population doubled approximately every 47 hours 7
The cells expressed critical stemness genes including Nanog and Oct-4, confirming their undifferentiated state 7
When induced under specific conditions, the cells successfully transformed into bone, fat, and cartilage cells 7
This achievement provides researchers worldwide with a standardized, reliable SHED resource—eliminating the variability that often plagues stem cell research and accelerating the development of new therapies.
The therapeutic potential of dental stem cells is being realized across multiple medical fields, with particularly promising results in these areas:
In a groundbreaking 2025 multicenter randomized clinical trial involving 132 patients with chronic periodontitis, researchers demonstrated that DPSC injections could significantly improve periodontal health 8 .
The results were compelling: Patients with stage III periodontitis who received DPSC injections showed 26.81% improvement in attachment loss compared to 17.43% in the control group. Even more impressively, they demonstrated 0.24 mm improvement in bone defect depth—a remarkable achievement for a non-surgical treatment in an area where regeneration is notoriously difficult 8 .
| Clinical Parameter | DPSC Group Improvement | Control Group Improvement | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attachment Loss | 1.67 ± 1.508 mm (26.81%) | 1.03 ± 1.310 mm (17.43%) | 0.0338 |
| Periodontal Probing Depth | 1.81 ± 1.490 mm | 1.08 ± 1.289 mm | 0.0147 |
| Bone Defect Depth | 0.24 ± 0.471 mm | 0.02 ± 0.348 mm | 0.0147 |
Dental stem cells show exceptional promise for bone regeneration. A 2025 systematic review analyzing 19 studies found that combining DPSCs or SHED with scaffolds consistently enhanced alveolar and jaw bone regeneration compared to scaffold-only approaches 1 .
The regeneration rates were impressive—DPSCs achieved new bone formation rates up to 70.5%, while SHED showed regeneration rates of 32.64% to 40% 1 . These cells not only form new bone but also enhance vascularization, creating more viable and integrated regenerated tissue.
| Stem Cell Type | Regeneration Rates | Key Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| DPSCs | 0.2% to 70.5% new bone formation | Strong osteogenic potential, good immunomodulation | Require tooth extraction, age affects stemness |
| SHED | 32.64% to 40% regeneration | Higher proliferation, minimal ethical concerns, easy access | Limited to children's primary teeth |
| BM-MSCs (Bone Marrow, gold standard) | Varies | Extensive research background, proven efficacy | Invasive collection, age-related decline |
Perhaps the most surprising application of dental stem cells lies in neurology. A 2025 scoping review revealed that DPSCs and SHED demonstrate significant neuroprotective and neuroregenerative properties in preclinical models of Alzheimer's disease .
These cells have shown the ability to increase neuron number and vitality, reduce neuroinflammation, repair mitochondrial damage, and even improve cognition in animal models of AD. Their neural crest origin makes them uniquely suited for addressing neurological disorders, though research in humans is still needed .
| Reagent/Material | Function | Application Example |
|---|---|---|
| Collagenase/Dispase enzymes | Digest extracellular matrix to isolate cells | Liberating DPSCs from pulp tissue 3 |
| DMEM/F12 medium | Provide nutrients for cell growth and maintenance | Standard culture medium for SHED expansion 7 |
| CD73, CD90, CD105 antibodies | Identify mesenchymal stem cell surface markers | Flow cytometry verification of stem cell identity 8 |
| Osteogenic induction cocktail | Direct stem cell differentiation toward bone cells | Typically contains dexamethasone, β-glycerophosphate, ascorbic acid 1 |
| Bioactive scaffolds (HA, PLGA, PCL) | Provide 3D support structure for tissue growth | Bone regeneration using DPSC-seeded constructs 1 4 |
| Cryopreservation solutions | Long-term storage of cell lines | Typically contain DMSO and serum albumin for banking 5 |
The implications of dental stem cell research extend far beyond dentistry. The minimally invasive nature of obtaining these cells, combined with their strong proliferative capacity and multilineage potential, positions them as ideal candidates for the growing field of personalized regenerative medicine 7 .
Current research is exploring several exciting frontiers:
Using extracellular vesicles from dental stem cells as cell-free alternatives that avoid implantation challenges 4
Creating precise, complex tissue structures using dental stem cells as bioink components 4
Building on the promising early human studies to establish standardized treatment protocols 8
Integrating dental stem cells with advanced biomaterials and growth factors for enhanced regeneration 9
As we look to the future, the notion of "waste" tissues like extracted teeth becoming valuable medical resources represents a paradigm shift in healthcare. The day may soon come when banking your child's baby teeth becomes as routine as vaccination, providing biological insurance against future health challenges.
The incredible journey of dental stem cells—from biological curiosity to therapeutic powerhouse—demonstrates how exploring nature's hidden designs can unlock revolutionary medical advances. The solution to some of our most challenging medical conditions might just be hiding in our smiles.