Mesenchymal Stem Cell Approach for Maxillary Sinus Grafting

Autogenous bone has long been a gold standard grafting material for bone defects. It possesses osteogenic, osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties ideal for bone healing. However, the need of a donor site surgery and related morbidities remain a major concern to the patients. Therefore, bone substitutes have been recognised to be alternatives to autogenous bone. Since they are cell-free materials providing at their best only osteoconductive property, the concept of introducing mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) creates a lot of interest. This MSCs strategy can potentially contribute all the three osteo-regenerative properties similar to autogenous bone graft. The MSCs are commonly harvested by aspiration methods from the posterior hip of the same host. The cell number can be amplified by culturing in the laboratory for a period of time or concentrated using a centrifuge and dedicated systems to achieve sufficient quantity for immediate transplantation. Its application in oral and maxillofacial regions, particularly on maxillary augmentation for dental implant rehabilitation, has been researched with promising clinical results