Approximately 36% of the global population suffers from some form of

cavities or dental caries in their tooth. Tooth decay occurred due to the breakdown
of hard layer tissue enamel and dentin. Add how it decay As the tooth continue to
decay, the hole would eventually reach the pulp area. The pulp are consist of soft
connective tissue. Its main purpose is to provide nutrient to the rest of the teeth
through the many small blood vessels present. The pulp also contain many nerves
to signal for pain and sensitivity. As tooth decay gets progressively worse, the pain
and sensitivity felt increase. When dental caries reach the pulp area, the pulp
would be exposed and infection is likely to happen. Due to the small volume of the
pulp tissue, there is usually not enough blood supply in the pulp area for the
immune system to fight off the infection. The only treatment at this point is total
polypectomy, or root canal. The dentist would attempt to remove all the pulp tissue
in the tooth and fill the inner cavity with gutta percha to provide for mechanical
stability. However, the tooth structural integrity is weaken at this point. In addition,
polypectomy is a highly technical procedure where breakage of instruments and
improper extraction of all infected tissue often occur. Due to these reasons,
prevention is usually the suggested treatment for patient who have mild dental
caries.
While the dentin has little regeneration potential by the pulp, the outer layer
of the tooth, enamel, has no regeneration once the tooth is formed. In order to
prevent further decay on tooth with dental caries at the dentin and enamel layer,
dentist usually removed the decayed area with dental drill. The hole is then filled
with biomaterial to provide structural integrity for the tooth while protecting the
inner layer of the teeth. One material used was the amalgam, which is a liquid
mercury and metal alloy mixture. The amalgam is usually silver, which can be
aesthetically displeasing due to its different color from the tooth. Installation of
amalgam usually required larger amount of teeth removal, because amalgam
cannot bond to the teeth and therefore special geometry has to be formed in the
tooth to keep the fillings in place. A more popular material used nowadays is the
dental composite resin. The resin can be mix to match the patients natural tooth
color. It also has the ability to bond to the enamel and dentin layer, which minimize
the amount of tooth tissue needed to be removed. However, the resin can be
susceptible to shrinkage over time. As the shrinkage occurs, gaps are introduced to
the teeth and secondary caries can occur at the gap. The composite resin is also
prone to chipping, and is not as durable as amalgam or the dentin and enamel
produced by the teeth.
Due to the problems with present treatments, a better material is needed for
the use as dental fillings. The material should be aesthetically pleasing and should
blend in with the patients own tooth. It should also be strong enough to provide
structural integrity for the tooth. Lastly, the material need to bond naturally to the
tooth to lower the volume of tooth removal and prevent secondary cavities. Our
proposed solution required the use of dental pulp stem cells from the patient to
regrow the dentin layer of the tooth. Using the patients own stem cells to grow the
dentin, the aesthetic and structure of the tooth can be maintained.
 Approximately 36% of the global population suffers from some form of
cavities or dental caries in their tooth Vos, T (Dec 15, 2012). "Years lived with
disability (YLDs) for 1160 sequelae of 289 diseases and injuries 1990-2010: a
systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010.". Lancet
380 (9859): 216396.. Tooth decay occurred due to the breakdown of hard
layer tissue enamel and dentin. Acid formation from bacteria activities and
high sugar diet can lead to demineralization of the tooth hard layers. As the
tooth continue to decay, the hole would eventually reach the pulp area. The
pulp are consist of soft connective tissue. Its main purpose is to provide
nutrient to the rest of the teeth through the numbers of small blood vessels.
The pulp also contain many nerves to signal for pain and sensitivity. As
tooth decay gets progressively worse, the pain and sensitivity felt increase.
When dental caries reach the pulp area, the pulp would be exposed and
infection is likely to happen. Due to the small volume of the pulp tissue,
there is usually not enough blood supply in the pulp area for the immune
system to fight off the infection. Huang, G. T. (2009). Pulp and dentin tissue
engineering and regeneration: current progress. Regenerative Medicine, 4(5),
697707. http://doi.org/10.2217/rme.09.45 The only treatment at this point is
total polypectomy, or root canal. The dentist would attempt to remove all
the pulp tissue in the tooth and fill the inner cavity with gutta percha for
mechanical stability. However, the tooths structural integrity is weaken at
this point. In addition, polypectomy is a highly technical procedure where
breakage of instruments and improper extraction of all infected tissue can
often occur. Gilbert, G. H., Tilashalski, K. R., Litaker, M. S., McNeal, S. F.,
Boykin, M. J., Kessler, A. W., & DPBRN Collaborative Group. (2010). Outcomes
of root canal treatment in Dental PBRN practices. General Dentistry, 58(1),
28.Due to these reasons, prevention is usually the suggested treatment for
patient who have mild dental caries.

While the dentin has little regeneration potential by the pulp, the
outer layer of the tooth, enamel, has no regeneration once the tooth is
formed. Huang, G. T. (2009). Pulp and dentin tissue engineering and
regeneration: current progress. Regenerative Medicine, 4(5), 697707.
http://doi.org/10.2217/rme.09.45. In order to prevent further decay on tooth
with dental caries at the dentin and enamel layer, dentist usually removed
the decayed area with dental drill. The hole is then filled with biomaterial to
provide structural integrity for the tooth while protecting the inner layer of
the teeth. One material often used is the amalgam, which is a liquid mercury
and metal alloy mixture. The amalgam is silver, which can be aesthetically
displeasing due to its different color from the tooth. Installation of amalgam
usually required larger amount of teeth removal, because amalgam cannot
bond to the teeth and therefore special geometry has to be formed in the
tooth to keep the fillings in place. Lubisich, E. B., Hilton, T. J., & FERRACANE, J.
(2010). Cracked Teeth: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Esthetic and
Restorative Dentistry: Official Publication of the American Academy of
Esthetic Dentistry ... [et Al.], 22(3), 10.1111/j.17088240.2010.00330.x.
http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1708-8240.2010.00330.x A more popular material
used nowadays is the dental composite resin. The resin can be mixed to
match the patients natural tooth color. It also has the ability to bond to the
enamel and dentin layer, which minimize the amount of tooth tissue needed
to be removed. However, the resin can be susceptible to shrinkage over
time. As the shrinkage occurs, gaps are introduced to the teeth and
secondary caries can occur at the gap. Bernardo, Mario. "Survival and
reasons for failure of amalgam versus composite posterior restorations
placed in a randomized clinical trial". J Am Dent Assoc. p. 779. Retrieved 23
November 2013. The composite resin is also prone to chipping, and is not as
durable as amalgam or the dentin and enamel produced by the teeth.

Due to the problems with present treatments, a better material is

needed to be used as dental fillings. The material should be aesthetically
pleasing and should blend in with the patients own tooth. It should also be
strong enough to provide structural support for the tooth. Lastly, the material
need to bond naturally to the tooth to lower the volume of tooth removal and
prevent secondary cavities. Our proposed solution involves the use of dental
pulp stem cells from the patient to regrow the dentin layer of the tooth.
Using the patients own stem cells to grow the dentin, both the aesthetic and
structure of the tooth can be maintained.