Deciduous teeth are constantly exfoliated in the alternate process of deciduous and permanent teeth. Hence, obtaining stem cells from human-exfoliated deciduous teeth(SHED) is simple and convenient. The proliferation rate of SHED was significantly higher than that of dental pulp stem cells and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. SHED expressed several growth factors for promoting proliferation, such as fibroblast growth factor, transforming growth factor-β, connective tissue growth factor, nerve growth factor, and bone morphogenetic protein. SHED are able to differentiate into odontoblasts, neural cells, cartilage cells, adipocytes, and liver cells, and can induce host cells to regenerate bone. In addition, SHED have immune modulatory effects and can enhance wound-healing effects. SHED are ideal seed cells for bone and skin tissue engineering. Thus, SHED can potentially be used for treating tooth and bone defects, nervous system diseases, immune system diseases, skin trauma, and liver diseases.
