title: Stem cells in dental practice: perspectives in conservative pulp therapies.
abstract: Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the capacity to self-renew. They have been discovered in many adult tissues, including teeth. The Dental Pulp Stem Cells are involved in dentinal repair by activation of growth factors, released after caries process and have the ability to regenerate the dentin-pulp-like complex. The molecular/cellular research raises the possibilities to grow new tissues and biological structures for clinical application, providing cells for therapies including cell transplantation and tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. lucianocasagrande@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casagrande
authors.forename: Letícia Grando
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Mattuella
authors.forename: Fernando Borba
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: de Araujo
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eduardo
mesh_terms: D053687:Adult Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000166:cytology*; D003804:Dentin / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D012390:Root Canal Therapy / Q000379:methods*