Histological evaluation of osteogenesis using stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth seeded in polymethylmethacrylate-hydroxyapatite scaffold.

OBJECTIVES: Alveolar bone defect is a challenge in dentistry. Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) seeded in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)/hydroxyapatite (HA) have been proposed as a bone defect biomaterial to facilitate bone regeneration. However, the potential of using a new biomaterial scaffold for osteogenesis needs to be tested in vivo before clinical use. Thus, in this study, the various histological indicators associated with SHED-seeded PMMA/HA were analyzed in terms of osteogenesis and bone regeneration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Wistar rats were treated with SHED-seeded PMMA/HA as an immediate graft following extraction of their upper right first incisors. Defects were randomly allocated to three groups, each containing 24 male Wistar rats, according to the biomaterials used for treatment: (1) no treatment (negative control); (2) defects treated with PMMA/HA; and (3) defects treated with SHED-seeded PMMA/HA. Animals were sacrificed on days 14 and 28 for histological evaluation. RESULTS: Alveolar bone defects treated with SHED-seeded PMMA/HA had significantly higher levels of macrophages, fibroblasts, lymphocytes, plasma cells, osteoblasts, and woven bone compared with PMMA/HA treatment alone (p < 0.05). Moreover, defects treated with SHED-seeded PMMA/HA had a lower number of osteoclasts than those with PMMA/HA treatment alone. In both treatment groups, histological evaluations of osteogenesis were better on day 14 than day 28. CONCLUSION: Histological findings showed that SHED-seeded PMMA/HA was effective in promoting osteogenesis and facilitating bone regeneration, which is the main requirement when considering an alternate material for the repair of alveolar bone defects.