{"id":3343,"date":"2016-11-25T12:32:11","date_gmt":"2016-11-25T12:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/evaggelatos.com\/?p=3343"},"modified":"2016-11-25T12:33:46","modified_gmt":"2016-11-25T12:33:46","slug":"stem-sells-are-precious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evaggelatos.com\/?p=3343","title":{"rendered":"Stem Sells are precious! Look out for it!"},"content":{"rendered":"

We look into the recommendation that parents preserve their kids’ baby teeth so stem cells can be harvested from them for future use in treating disease.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Research shows that stem cells can be harvested from baby teeth and have potential dental and medical uses in repairing and regenerating tissues, and commercial facilities exist for the preservation and storage of dental stem cells for future use, at a price.<\/span><\/p>\n

WHAT’S Undetermined: Whether, to what degree, or when such potential uses for dental stem cells will actually come to pass.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doctors Are Urging Parents Everywhere To Keep Their Kids\u2019 Baby Teeth<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

There’s an article going around Facebook claiming valuable stem cells can be salvaged from our baby teeth and, when preserved correctly, can provide a life-saving solution.<\/span><\/p>\n

Origin:Stem cells<\/a>, which differ\u00a0from\u00a0other types of cells in the human body in that they’re capable of renewing themselves almost indefinitely and changing into more specialized cells with the potential to repair or replace specific tissues and organs, were discovered more than 100 years ago and, according to the National Institutes of Health, remain one of the most promising frontiers<\/a>\u00a0of medical research:<\/span><\/p>\n

Given their unique regenerative abilities, stem cells offer new potentials for treating diseases such as diabetes, and heart disease. However, much work remains to be done in the laboratory and the clinic to understand how to use these cells for cell-based therapies to treat disease, which is also referred to as regenerative or reparative medicine.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are two basic kinds of stem cells, embryonic<\/a> and adult<\/a>. The former can only harvested\u00a0from human embryos, while the latter are\u00a0found in a\u00a0variety of human\u00a0tissues\u00a0such as\u00a0bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, fat, and, since 2003, baby teeth<\/a>. The scientists who discovered that the pulp of baby teeth is rich in stem cells also noted that\u00a0SHED<\/strong> (“stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth<\/strong>“) have unique properties:<\/span><\/p>\n

They are long lived, grow rapidly in culture, and, with careful prompting in the laboratory, have the potential to induce the formation of specialized dentin, bone, and neuronal cells.\u00a0 If followup studies extend these initial findings, the scientists speculate they may have identified an important and easily accessible source of stem cells that possibly could be manipulated to repair damaged teeth<\/strong>, induce the regeneration of bone<\/strong>, and treat neural injury or disease<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another innovation in stem cell technology is\u00a0the implementation of stem cell banks \u2014\u00a0specifically, cord blood stem cell banks<\/strong> and dental stem cell\u00a0banks<\/strong> for\u00a0the purpose of enabling parents to cryopreserve and store their children’s stem cells for use in reparative or regenerative medical treatments later in life. Any number of articles touting the use of such facilities are circulating online, including “Doctors Are Urging Parents Everywhere to Keep Their Kids’ Baby Teeth<\/a>,” which, despite its title, doesn’t name or quote a single physician who actually recommends it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The price you may pay for storage<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Nor is there any mention of the cost of these services. One such facility, called Store-A-Tooth<\/a>, charges $1,749 up front plus $120 per year for storage. Another, The Tooth Bank<\/a>, charges $475 plus $115 per year for storage. And there’s StemSave<\/a>, whose services cost $630 up front and $120 per year. There are others within approximately the same range.<\/span><\/p>\n

The main question facing\u00a0most parents, then, is\u00a0whether the potential benefits of preserving their kids’\u00a0baby teeth justify the expense. The answer is possibly not.<\/strong> Research is ongoing and the future looks promising, but no one can predict when or to what degree those promises will be fulfilled. To date, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to approve the use of dental stem cells in any medical procedure.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This\u00a0is what the California Dental Association (CDA) had to\u00a0say<\/a>\u00a0about dental stem cell banking in\u00a02013:<\/span><\/p>\n

Scientific study into cell-based therapies has identified tremendous potential for the use of stem cells to treat a number of diseases and disorders. As research has advanced, stem cell banking services, primarily umbilical cord blood banking, have sprung up around the country. More recently, researchers have discovered that stem cells harvested from deciduous teeth may be a source of tissue regeneration and repair. Like the marketing of umbilical cord banking to pregnant women, dental pulp stem cell tissue banks have begun to market to dentists and the public. Despite its exciting potential, experts agree it is premature to consider dental pulp stem cells as a source of cells for replacing or regenerating tissue.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

“What we do know,” \u00a0the CDA quotes Dr. Pamela Robey of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research as saying, “is the cells from dental pulp in baby or wisdom teeth have the ability to make dentin and pulp and they might have the ability to make bone, but right now that\u2019s all we really know for sure \u2026 we can\u2019t say how useful for the future they\u2019ll be.<\/strong>“<\/span><\/p>\n

Considering the uncertainties and the cost, then, parents would be well advised to seek the opinion of\u00a0a knowledgeable\u00a0medical professional and carefully weigh their decision before investing in a baby tooth bank account.<\/span><\/p>\n

Originally published: 17 August 2016<\/span><\/p>\n

Bibliography:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0392ansai, Ramla and Jain, Aditya. \u00a0 “Current Overview on Dental Stem Cells Applications in Regenerative Dentistry.”<\/span>
\n \u00a0 \u00a0 Journal of Natural Science, Biology and Medicine<\/em>. \u00a0 January-June 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

Casely, Laura. \u00a0 “Doctors Are Urging Parents Everywhere to Keep Their Kids’ Baby Teeth.”<\/span>
\n \u00a0 \u00a0 Little Things<\/em>. \u00a0 15 August 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

Childs, Dan. \u00a0 “Could Baby Teeth Stem Cells Save Your Child?”<\/span>
\n \u00a0 \u00a0 ABC News<\/em>. \u00a0 28 May 2008.<\/span><\/p>\n

Considine, Austin. \u00a0 “Back Off, Tooth Fairy, Those Baby Teeth May One Day Save a Life.”<\/span>
\n \u00a0 \u00a0 Motherboard<\/em>. \u00a0 5 April 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kojima, Minami. \u00a0 “Grow Your Own Teeth.”<\/span>
\n \u00a0 \u00a0 Issues: Berkeley Medical Journal<\/em>. \u00a0 Fall 2014.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tasker, Fred. \u00a0 “Pulled Teeth Stored for Stem Cells.”<\/span>
\n \u00a0 \u00a0 Phys.org<\/em>. \u00a0 21 January 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n

California Dental Association<\/em>. \u00a0 “Dental Pulp Cells Issue Summary.”<\/span>
\n \u00a0 \u00a0 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

National Institutes of Health<\/em>. \u00a0” Scientists Discover Unique Source of Postnatal Stem Cells.”<\/span>
\n \u00a0 \u00a0 21 April 2003.<\/span><\/p>\n

National Institutes of Health<\/em>. \u00a0 “Stem Cell Basics.”<\/span>
\n \u00a0 \u00a0 17 June 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We look into the recommendation that parents preserve their kids’ baby teeth so stem cells can be harvested from them for future use in treating disease. Research shows that stem cells can be harvested from baby teeth and have potential dental and medical uses in repairing and regenerating tissues, and commercial facilities exist for the … <\/p>\n

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