No kidding! Apparently, stem cells from monkey teeth can promote growth of many kinds of neural cells. We already use dental stem cells to regenerate craniofacial and dental cells, and many dentists work with stem cell banks for patients who want to preserve their children’s dental stem cells in case of a future emergency. Neural cells are different than dental and craniofacial cells, though.
A research team at Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University recently found that dental stem cells from monkeys can generate neural cells. The research was published in The Journal of Stem Cells (October 2008). Dr. Anthony Chan, a member of the research team, explains in an article at ScienceDaily.com that the research shows adult (mature) stem cells from dental pulp in primate teeth can stimulate neural cell growth, which leads to neuron development. The team will do further studies to determine whether dental stem cells from monkeys with Huntington’s disease can promote development of brain cells. If so, the implications could be amazing for neurological diseases like Huntington’s and Parkinson’s.
Interested in finding out how your patients can store dental stem cells? Check out these companies: Store-A-Tooth and Stem Save. For further reading, review “Could a Baby Tooth Save Your Child’s Life?” and this article at DentalPRNEws.com. You may also want to watch the webcast with Dr. Fiona M. Collins at RDHMag.com.