Clinical application prospects and transformation value of dental follicle stem cells in oral and neurological diseases

Core Tip

Core Tip: This review is intended to summarize and comment on the properties, application potentials, and clinical transformation value of dental follicle stem cells (DFSCs). Stem cells derived from dental SCs (DSCs) originating from the craniofacial neural crest exhibit dental-like tissue differentiation potentials and neuro-ectodermal features, making them a promising alternative for the treatment of oral and neurological diseases. Moreover, in contrast to other DSCs, DFSCs from the early-developing tissues exhibit a number of superior properties, including larger tissue volume, higher cell proliferation rate, more similar biological profiles to progenitor cells of origin, and better anti-inflammatory effects, etc. These advantages are part of the critical mechanism by which DFSCs exert therapeutic effects and are relevant for large scale scaling and industrial generation for clinical applications. Moreover, cryopreservation preserves the biological properties of DFSCs and enables them to be used as off-shelf products for clinical applications. Therefore, DFSCs could have great clinical prospects and translational value in oral and neurological diseases with natural advantages.