Osteo/odontogenic differentiation analysis of dental stem cells from tooth germ, apical papilla, and dental follicle

Aim: Different tissues of dental origin are used for isolation of stem cells that can be differentiated towards osteogenic or odontogenic lineages, including dental follicle and apical papilla. Using tooth germ as a whole without separating dental follicle and apical papilla for isolating stem cells is another approach that uses the reciprocal interactions between two cell types. Although dental follicle stem cells and stem cells form apical papilla are widely investigated for both osteogenic and odontogenic differentiation, use of tooth germ stem cells is very limited despite its potential. This study aimed to investigate and compare the osteo/odontogenic differentiation potential of stem cells from apical papilla, tooth germ, and dental follicle in vitro.