Derived from ectodermal mesenchyme, dental follicle cells(DFCs) are periodontal tissue precursor cells that exhibit heterogeneity and multilineage differentiation potential through osteogenic, cementogenic, chondrogenic, adipogenic, and neurogenic differentiation. DFCs are extensively used for periodontal tissue regeneration, because they can be easily harvested from the attached dental follicles, which are separated from the calcified teeth after the impacted third molar extractions. DFCs are suitable seeding cells that can be combined with scaffold to generate periodontal-like tissues and can be co-cultured with other seeding cells or provide microenvironments favorable for tissue regeneration.
