This review summarizes in vitro experiments performed by our group and others. We present the current state of progress made in the field of stem-cell-based odontoblastic differentiation including the mechanism, and the possibility for clinical use of stem cells.
Mouse embryonic stem cells, mouse induced pluripotent stem cells, and α7+ human skeletal muscle stem cells can differentiate into odontoblast-like cells without an epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and are characterized by the signaling cascade underpinning odontoblastic differentiation, which may be useful for tooth regeneration and dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) studies.