Isolation and growth of human periodontal ligament cells in vitro

The periodontal ligaments from single human teeth were dissected free of the root surface and plated into culture dishes. In each case two populations of cells were obtained: fibroblasts and epithelial cells. These two populations were separated and grown in culture. The epithelial nature of the epithelioid-appearing cells was confirmed by staining for keratin, exclusively an epithelial cell protein.