Last summer, I was forwarded an article from an administrator at UCSF. He likes to keep the pre-dental students updated on new advancements made in the field. This particular email caught my eye— it contained an article that explained that a company, Stemodontics, in Petaluma, CA was harvesting stem cells from wisdom teeth following their extraction (Naylor, 2019).
Thinking back to when I got my wisdom teeth removed almost 8 years ago, I distinctly remember wanting to take them home (naturally, I’ve always been fascinated with teeth). Now, the option to take teeth home is being replaced by the option to have stem cells removed and preserved. Teeth contain something that is generally referred to as “pulp,” which is the living connective tissue and cells in the teeth (Ghannam et al., 2020). However, in addition to already differentiated connective tissue, there are also mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) contained in the pulp (Ghannam et al., 2020).
Stem cells are extremely fascinating to scientists due to their regenerative properties and potential in healthcare. Clinical studies have shown that stem cells are beneficial in procedures involving maxillary bone grafting and in gum disease surgery (Morsczeck & Reichert, 2017). Further than oral procedures, MSCs are being explored as a treatment for many diseases. Particularly, MSCs have been used in animal trials examining their impact on animals with Alzheimer’s disease (Duncan & Valenzuela, 2017). These trials have shown that MSCs reduce plaque formation and improve spatial learning (Duncan & Valenzuela, 2017). While there were discrepancies seen among the animal and human trials, there is still the potential for MSC to be used in treatment of Alzheimer’s.
People don’t plan on getting life-altering diseases and there is no way to adequately prepare for such news. Stemodontics cryogenically preserves stem cells so if someone ever gets diagnosed with a disease that could be treated using stem cells, they have them.
The purpose of this company is one that can be ethically examined. While there is heavy research surrounding stem cells, there is still no known use for them. Stemodontics charges $2,000 for the extraction of stem cells, and a storage fee of $22/month (Naylor, 2019). Is this extraction just a waste of money that is giving people false hope (injustice)? Or is this a potential life-saving medical advancement that should be further advocated (beneficence)?
If you were an oral surgeon extracting wisdom teeth, what would you recommend?
Duncan, T., & Valenzuela, M. (2017). Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and stem cell therapy. Stem Cell Research & Therapy, 8(111). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13287-017-0567-5
Ghannam, M. G., Alameddine, H., & Bordoni, B. (2020, August 10). Anatomy, Head and Neck, Pulp (Tooth). NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537112/
Morsczeck, C., & Reichert, T. E. (2017). Dental stem cells in tooth regeneration and repair in the future. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, 18(2), 187–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/14712598.2018.1402004
Naylor, M. (2019, August 21). Petaluma company offers to harvest stem cells from wisdom teeth. KTVU. https://www-ktvu-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.ktvu.com/amp/news/ktvu-local-news/petaluma-company-offers-to-harvest-stem-cells-from-wisdom-teeth
I am also a pre-dental student and find this very interesting. In my case, when I had my wisdom teeth removed I opted not to take them home but maybe I should have. Storing the teeth and using them for stem cell research is something that I never thought of. Ethically speaking, methods for obtaining stem cells have always been under scrutiny. In my opinion, if the patient consents to storing their teeth and paying the fee, the practice of storing wisdom teeth should be permissible. I even found a paper that claims dental pulp stem cells could be a better source for MSC than bone marrow (Karaöz et al., 2011).
ReplyDeleteKaraöz, E., Demircan, P. C., Salam, Ö., Aksoy, A., Kaymaz, F., & Duruksu, G. (2011). Human dental pulp stem cells demonstrate better neural and epithelial stem cell properties than bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Histochemistry and Cell Biology, 136(4), 455-73. doi:http://dx.doi.org.dml.regis.edu/10.1007/s00418-011-0858-3
I had no idea wisdom teeth were a source of stem cells. I was never given the option regarding what to do with my wisdom teeth when I had them removed. I think it is a great alternative since wisdom teeth often have to be removed anyway, and the subjectively painful process of removing bone marrow to harvest stem cells could be avoided.
ReplyDeleteI am curious if our normal molars could also be a source of stem cells, for some people do not have wisdom teeth or they do not drop.
Since cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the US, I found that the chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and mesenchymal stem cells in the pulp of teeth can potentially treat chronic heart diseases like congestive heart failure (Kaur & Nagpal, 2013). It seems more research into the regenerative capabilities of our teeth should be further explored.
Reference:
Kaur, N., & Nagpal, A. (2013). Extracted wisdom teeth: Preserve or discard???. Dental research journal, 10(3), 408.