Dental Pulp Is a Complex Adaptive System

  • Sibel Yildirim
Chapter
First Online:
Part of the SpringerBriefs in Stem Cells book series (BRIEFSSTEM)

Abstract

The damaged or lost structure of teeth caused by caries or trauma can be treated clinically by replacement with an artificial material (fillings) and the outcome is usually satisfactory. Yet, tooth loss is the most common organ failure. The complex biological structure of the tooth organ including the enamel, dentin, cementum, and pulp create obstacles for any ambitious dream of the substitution of artificial material with a bio-tooth. Although the focus of the most regenerative studies is toward achieving a means to repeat evolutionary signals secondarily and initiate development secondarily, lack of understanding of the nature and interactions of tooth creating cells blocks this goal. Efforts to discover possible lineage-specific propensities within one group of cells are progressing more favourably. Although stem cells have been taken out of the body and manipulated ex vivo, there are many steps for successful cell-based therapies due to committed cells being unable to orchestrate the regeneration of complex tooth structures (Yildirim et al. 2011a).

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Copyright information

© Author 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  • Sibel Yildirim
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Pediatric DentistrySelcuk University, Faculty of DentistryKonyaTurkey

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