Should we reconsider the apoptosis as a strategic player in tissue regeneration?

Apoptosis plays a central role in organs development and homeostasis. Impaired regulation of this process is often associated with the onset of several human diseases, such as developmental disorders and cancer. The last scientific investigations have discovered interesting connections between apoptosis, stem cells, tissue regeneration and cancer.

Stem Cells-based and Molecular-based Approaches in Regenerative Dentistry: A Topical Review.

Background: Regenerative medicine is a growing branch of medicine aimed to treat damaged or lost tissues, to promote tissue formation and to restore both aesthetics and function. In the last years, several scientific articles have been focused on the regenerative procedures aimed to increase the survival rate of compromised teeth; the most effective approaches have been based on molecularbased and on cellular-based protocols; however, to date, both these techniques have not been carefully analysed and discussed, to know in details the advantages of each of them.

Methods: A literature search was undertaken on three electronic scientific databases: Medline via PubMed, EMBASE and Google Scholar.