Osteogenic Differentiation Potential of Dental Follicle Stem Cells Versus Other Human Dental Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Systematic Review of In Vitro Studies

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent an appealing approach for bone regeneration, dictated in cases of jawbone damage or before the placement of dental implants. Dental follicle stem cells (DFSCs) can be isolated following the routine dental procedure of extraction of unerupted third molars. The aim of this study is to compare the osteogenic differentiation potential in vitro between DFSCs and other dental MSCs. Methods: The English literature was searched through the databases PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE via OVID, Web of Science, and Scopus. Risk of bias (RoB) assessment of the eligible studies was performed using the Quality Assessment Tool for In Vitro Studies. Results: Twenty-three studies compared the osteogenic differentiation potential of DFSCs with other dental MSCs, predominantly dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), via the gene expression of osteogenic markers, the alkaline phosphatase activity, and mineralization assays. High, moderate, and low RoB was observed in one, eight and fourteen studies, respectively. Conclusions: DFSCs exhibited comparator-dependent osteogenic differentiation potential, with a tendency toward lower osteogenic outcomes than PDLSCs, while findings compared to DPSCs were inconsistent. Their osteogenic performance appeared to vary with culture duration, with more favorable outcomes observed in mineralization assays after 21–28 days.