Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are clinically utilized for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Dental tissue has received attention as an easily accessible source of high quality stem cells. In this study, we compared the characteristics of dental pulp stem cells from deciduous teeth(DDPSCs) to those from permanent teeth (PDPSCs). Teeth were obtained from 2 patients in each group, then cells were isolated from dental pulp and used for comparative analysis of DDPSCs and PDPSCs. Colony-forming ability, proliferation rate, and expression levels of cell surface antigens were similar in both groups. However, DDPSCs showed greater levels of osteogenic differentiation as compared to PDPSCs. We consider that pulp cells from both deciduous and permanent teeth are valuable sources of MSCs and useful for stem cell research and future therapeutic applications, while DDPSCs are more suitable for clinical applications of bone regeneration.
