Advances in Regenerative Dentistry: A Systematic Review of Harnessing Wnt/β-Catenin in Dentin-Pulp Regeneration

Abstract

Dentin pulp has a complex function as a major unit in maintaining the vitality of teeth. In this sense, the Wnt/β-Catenin pathway has a vital part in tooth development, maintenance, repair, and regeneration by controlling physiological activities such as growth, differentiation, and migration. This pathway consists of a network of proteins, such as Wnt signaling molecules, which interact with receptors of targeted cells and play a role in development and adult tissue homeostasis. The Wnt signals are specific spatiotemporally, suggesting its intricate mechanism in development, regulation, repair, and regeneration by the formation of tertiary dentin. This review provides an overview of the recent advances in the Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway in dentin and pulp regeneration, how different proteins, molecules, and ligands influence this pathway, either upregulating or silencing it, and how it may be used in the future for clinical dentistry, in vital pulp therapy as an effective treatment for dental caries, as an alternative approach for root canal therapy, and to provide a path for therapeutic and regenerative dentistry.