Abstract

Objective:
The objectives of our study were to assess the attitude of health professionals, regarding the use of SHED in regenerative medicine and to explore its prospects in a developing country like Pakistan. 
Methodology:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among currently practicing medical and dental professionals in Pakistan. A convenient sampling procedure was used in which 250 subjects from dental and medical fields were selected for the study.
Results:
The total response rate was 98.8 %. More than half of the participants (56.68%) had never heard about the term SHED before. Dental professionals showed a significantly greater interest (p = 0.015) in SHED practice as compared to medical professionals. The majority (61%) of health professionals agreed on primary teeth banking. Nearly 31 % of health professionals appeared hesitant to support the medico-legal status of SHED practice in Pakistan.
Conclusions:
Despite showing moderate interest, at present many Pakistani health professionals are still new to the term SHED. Educational interventions on the ‘benefits of SHED and its limited ethical concern’ are required to be organized for health professionals in Pakistan.

Key words: Professionals, Cross-sectional study, Stem cells, Deciduous teeth, Human