Whereas inhibition of angiogenesis may prevent cancer, pro-angiogenic events are both stimulated by, and absolutely required for, normal tissue growth and repair. Notably, and perhaps expectedly, many of the same mechanisms are involved. Tissue repair is clearly an important aspect of virtually all dental procedures particularly in treatment of diseased or damaged tooth pulp. In many cases, maintaining or reconstituting the living tissue after pulpotomy or pulpectomy may be preferable to artificial packing of the pulp chamber. However the challenge is to do this in a manner compatible with the practicalities of clinical dentistry. I am applying tissue engineering approaches to resolve this issue including use of novel biodegradable scaffolds, primary endothelial cells and pluripotent dental pulp stem cells.
Dr. Benjamin Zeitlin, bzeitlin@pacific.edu, 415.351.7105
