Stem cells in dentistry: A study regarding awareness of stem cells among dental professionals.

Abstract

Dental stem cell, a type of adult stem cell, exhibits multipotent differentiation capacity and is drawing worldwide attention because of its numerous applications. The advances in applications of dental stem cells seem to be unsurpassed in the near future, for which specialized skills and knowledge in this arena are of prime significance. Hence, there is a need to acquire more knowledge about dental stem cells to obtain maximum benefits from it in the coming years. Dental stem cells in India are still at the budding stage, and there seems to be limited awareness regarding dental stem cells. This study aimed to assess the awareness of stem cells among the dental professionals. The present study was a questionnaire-based study of dental professionals (MDS, BDS, postgraduates, and interns) of three different institutions. Results showed that 95.2% of dental professionals are aware of the terminology dental stem cells and 53.9% of them are aware of various applications of dental stem cells. Chi-square test showed a significant correlation between the sources of information, source of dental stem cells, and clinical applications in relation to the academic qualification of the dental professionals. This study revealed a good level of awareness among the dental professionals, and it also showed the need to spread more knowledge about the advances in applications, storage, banking, and guidelines related to dental stem cells.