Dental Pulp Stem Cells from Natal Teeth: Isolation and Morphological Study

Introduction: Stem cells have a remarkable capacity for selfregeneration and have the potential to originate different types of cells and tissue. There is a significant occurrence of natal teeth in newborn babies and usually the treatment consists of surgical removal. Aim: To isolate and extensively characterise stem cells derived from human natal dental pulp. For this characterisation, proliferation capacity, ultrastructural morphological evaluation and trace elements were utilised. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in the oral pathology laboratory during October 2016. Cells from the pulp of two natal teeth were isolated through the explant technique and separated with a STRO-1 marker. The colony forming units, cell proliferation and cell viability after plating and the growth curve were analysed. The cells were morphologically analysed through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the trace elements were analysed using Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). Results: The predominant cellular morphology, observed in the stem cells separated with the STRO-1 biological marker, was fibroblastic. The study of trace elements using EDS detected chlorine, sodium and sulfur. Conclusion: Natal teeth extracted for medical reasons could be an opportunity for everyone to preserve stem cells, permitting their use in future experimental studies.