Stem cell-based therapy for bone regeneration: Periodontists' and oral maxillofacial surgeons' considerations

Although stem cell therapies are now used in medicine, they have not yet been approved in dentistry. The authors compared periodontists' and oral maxillofacial surgeons' (OMSs) knowledge, interests, and thoughts about the adoption of stem cell-based therapy for use in oral and craniofacial reconstructive procedures.

Anonymous survey data were collected from 481 members of the American Academy of Periodontology (response rate, 19.41%) and from 540 members of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (response rate, 21.86%).

Twenty-four percent of the practice of periodontists and 14% of the practice of OMSs consisted of bone grafting procedures (P < .001); the other proportions of services these practices rendered were not surveyed. More periodontists than OMSs had heard about stem cell-based bone grafting from publications mainly (P < .001). Periodontists were more interested to learn about this approach via in-person continuing education courses and OMSs were more interested to learn via online continuing education courses (P < .001). Both groups considered stem cell-based bone grafting promising and indicated they would prefer it to traditional approaches. Most important to both groups was that this approach would yield more and better quality in accelerated healing. The highest acceptable cost for this therapy ranged from $35 through $5,000. Most of the respondents in both groups thought it was likely or very likely that patients would prefer it.

These findings provide a basis for developing educational interventions for clinicians and informing future research activities addressing providers' questions about stem cell-based therapies.

The authors underscored the interest in clinical adoption of stem cell-based therapies for oral and craniofacial conditions.