A new hydrogel for dental pulp regeneration

Regeneration of the pulp-dentin complex remains a challenge to this day. In this study, researchers hypothesized that dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) encapsulated in a collagen-based hydrogel of varying stiffness would regenerate functional dental pulp and dentin when injected concentrically into tooth slices. They conducted in vivo experiments by injecting PDSCs encapsulated in collagen hydrogels of different stiffness, with or without growth factor, into mice. Regeneration of pulp-dentin tissue was assessed by histological staining and immunofluorescence. Injection of hydrogel-encapsulated PDSCs, coupled with growth factors, enhanced pulp-dentin tissue regeneration.