Stem cells will cure periodontitis

Researchers at the University of Hiroshima, led by Professor Hidemi Kurihara, using mesenchymal stem cells obtained from the bone marrow of patients, restored gum tissue, periodontal and dental cement (a thin bone-like layer surrounding the root of the tooth) in their jaws. The destruction of these tissues occurs with periodontitis, an inflammatory disease that eventually leads to the loss of teeth.

During clinical trials, improvement was noted in six out of eight patients.

Professor Kurihara is confident that the method developed under his leadership will make it possible to effectively treat even severe periodontal diseases. In the future, the research group plans to increase the efficiency of its technology and make its use in dentistry publicly available. At the same time, scientists draw attention to the fact that regular customers of dental clinics will not have to repeatedly go through the painful procedure of taking stem cells from the bone marrow: it will be enough to do it once, after which an individual sample will be stored in the clinic in a frozen state.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of AMI-TASS

01.04.2010