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Introduction
The increase in life expectancy in the recent times has led to an upsurge in the number of aged people presenting with chronic degenerative diseases and requiring “organ transplants”.1 Moreover, human transplants come with their own share of drawbacks including problems of matching and rejection, infections as well as ethical and religious issues. Such drawbacks have resulted in a search for alternatives to transplantation.2 Tissue engineering thereby emerged, as a promising regeneration system of lost tissues which restores function and esthetics simultaneously.3
The terminology “tissue engineering” was first coined in the year 1987.4 It refers to an “ inter-disciplinary field which applies the principles of engineering and biological sciences toward the development of biological substitutes which restore, replace, maintain, or improve tissue function”.5 It is an amalgamation of the interaction between three key components namely cells, scaffolds and signaling molecules.6 Tissue engineering in dental field evolved with the inception of membranes for “guided tissue regeneration” as well as use of platelet-rich plasma for guided restoration of lost bone.7 Today, tissue engineering in dentistry is utilizing biomodulation and incorporation of nanomaterials for reconstruction of oral and maxillofacial tissues.2,8,9
Globally, thorough research is being carried out in basic and applied stem cells research, especially in America and European countries but in most of the under-developed countries including Pakistan, this area still remains in its preliminary phase and there is limited progress.10 Attempts have successfully been made to identify and grow dental pulp stem cells from human teeth.11 Modified scaffolds for alveolar bone repair and periodontal regeneration have also been successfully synthesized, although human trials are still pending.12
The major institutes in Pakistan the are involved in tissue engineering research in field of stem cells include, Center for Advanced Molecular Biology (CAMB), Quaid-i-Azam University, Atta ur-Rehman School of Applied Biology (ASAB), Aga Khan University Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research (AKUCRM) and Bone Marrow Transplant Center (BMTC). A private organization "Cryocell', Karachi is the first umbilical cord cells banking facility established in Pakistan.
The crux of this review article was to familiarize the reader with basic concepts of tissue engineering, its current uses in dentistry and its upcoming implications. It addresses the concentrated literature including a variety of oral tissue derived stem/progenitor cells, biomaterials available...