AUTHOR(S): Dipanjan Das, Shaswata Karmakar, Sabourni Sarkar, Saummya Singh and Shiva Shankar Gummaluri

ABSTRACT:Periodontal disease is a worldwide problem that affects people of all classes. It is caused by a bacterial infection of the periodontium and results in a degeneration of tissue. Current methods used to repair any damage due to periodontal disease have poor efficacy, can be harmful, painful and expensive. The future therapeutic methods may involve tissue engineering using stem cells found in the Periodontal Ligament. The reason that the PDLSC’s hold such great importance is that most of the cells are able to differentiated into a mixture of periodontal ligament -including the specific fiber bundles that attach tooth to bone - and the mineralized tissue called cementum that covers the roots of our teeth. These cells are also beneficial in a clinical point of view because they are so easily accessible. In theory, people could one day preserve these stem cells and bank them from their own wisdom teeth that they have had extracted. These can then be used later in life to treat advanced periodontal disease. The idea of preserving one’s own cells for later use is the ideal for the future of tissue engineering via stem cells.

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