Introduction: The conventional treatment for irreversibly inflamed or necrotic teeth is root canal treatment or apexification. Regenerative endodontics aims to regenerate the damaged "pulp-like" tissue, which can preserve the teeth' vitality and sensitivity while avoiding necrosis. The main clinical benefit is root maturation. The "pulp-like" tissue does not refer to regenerated pulp tissue with an odontoblastic layer or the formation of pulp-dentin complexes. The cell homing technique is built on endogenous stem cells and their capacity to regenerate tissue. Cell homing refers to endogenous cells' migration or infiltration into the cite when stimulated by physiochemical or biological stimuli or by passive flow with a blood clot from the apical tissue. Its Regenerative Endodontic Procedures success criteria are defined by the American Association of Endodontists. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of vital pulp tissue and various strategies to promote regeneration of damaged pulp tissue. The cell homing technique will be reviewed through clinical trials.
Methods: We performed a comprehensive literature review on a total of nine clinical trials of regenerative endodontics using the cell-homing technique based on three databases and duplicate manuscripts were removed.
Results: Regenerative endodontics using the cell-homing technique shows promising results that can be translated into clinical practice. However, a favorable result was observed in immature teeth, and the results are contradictory in mature teeth.
Conclusion: Regeneration therapy is an attractive new alternative to conventional endodontic treatments. Preservation of vitality and continuation of root development in damaged teeth would be a clear advantage.
Keywords: Biomaterials; cell homing technique; growth factors; pulp tissues; regenerative endodontic; scaffolds; stem cells.
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