Recent advances in drug repurposing for dentin repair

Area of Science:

• Regenerative Dentistry
• Biomaterials Science
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Vital pulp therapies aim to preserve dental pulp health and promote dentin repair.
• Current inorganic hydraulic calcium-silicate cements have limited bioactive effects.
• Repurposing drugs targeting reparative dentinogenesis offers novel therapeutic approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review studies on tideglusib and metformin for potential repurposing in dentin repair.
• To explore agents targeting intracellular signaling pathways for reparative dentinogenesis.

Main Methods:

• PubMed database was used for literature search.
• Included studies focused on dental pulp stem cells.
• Investigated tideglusib and metformin as single agents.

Main Results:

• Both tideglusib and metformin upregulated odontoblastic differentiation markers and mineral synthesis in dental pulp stem cells.
• Tideglusib enhanced reparative dentinogenesis in animal models.

Conclusions:

• Drug repurposing advances regenerative dental medicine.
• Translating medical research into dentistry offers cost-effective strategies.
• Improved outcomes in regenerative dental medicine are achievable.