Regenerative Endodontics: A New Treatment Modality for Pulp Regeneration

Endodontic disease is one of the most common dental diseases. Currently the major treatment modality is root canal therapy (RCT). The American Dental Association reported that approximately 22 million RCT’s are performed in the United States each year, with an annual expenditure of 20 to 34 billion dollars [1]. RCT consists of complete removal of the contaminated pulp tissue and filling the pulp space with an inert material. Although the reported success rate of RCT is 78-98% [2,3], RCT in permanent teeth diagnosed with pulpal necrosis and immature root development is very challenging. In these cases, the thin dentinal walls of the root and the open apex limit the application of mechanical instrumentation and obturation. In addition, conventional RCT cannot regenerate new dentin and pulp tissue in these teeth, nor prevent their susceptibility to fracture.