Cryopreservation and Banking of Dental Stem Cells

Over the past decade, dental tissues have become an attractive source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Dental stem cells (DSCs) are not only able to differentiate into adipogenic, chondrogenic and osteogenic lineanges, but an increasing amount of research also pointed out their potential applicability in numerous clinical disorders, such as myocardial infarction, neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes. Together with their multilineage differentiation capacity, their easy availability from extracted third molars makes these stem cells a suitable alternative for bone marrow-derived MSCs. More importantly, DSCs appear to retain their stem cell properties following cryopreservation, a key aspect in their long-term preservation and upscale production. However, the vast number of different cryopreservation protocols makes it difficult to draw definite conclusions regarding the behavior of these stem cells. The routine application and banking of DSCs is also associated with some other pitfalls, such as interdonor variability, cell culture-induced changes and the use of animal-derived culture medium additives. Only thorough assessment of these challenges and the implementation of standardized, GMP procedures will successfully lead to better treatment options for patients who no longer benefit from current stem cell therapies.