Abstract

Due to specialized property of multipotency of adult postnatal stem cells , these can be
experimentally induced to differentiate into various specialized cell lineages. This has
generated considerable interest in the arena of stem cell based therapeutics. Periodontal
ligament stem cell (PDLSC) are one of these type of cells within the periodontal ligament
which represents a significant development in this regard. Achieving predictable periodontal
regeneration has long been a challenge, and it is known that cells involved in the mechanisms
of periodontal wound healing are of mesenchymal stem cell MSC type. Thus, periodontal
ligament stem cell (PDLSC) based therapeutics may be a step towards predictable periodontal
regeneration and also these cells may have alternative potential applications in hard tissue
and tooth engineering. PDLSC may be isolated, grown under tissue culture conditions,
expanded, optionally genetically modified and then collected and transplanted. This paper
aims to overview the current knowledge, recent developments and methodology regarding
PDLS based applications.