THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EXISTENCE OF A HUMAN TEETH BANK AND IMPACTS ON SOCIETY: A SCOPE REVIEW

Abstract

The Human Teeth Bank (HTB) emerges as an alternative for the formalization, cataloging and storage of donated teeth, eliminating possible clandestine tooth trade and thus contributing to academic training in a legal way. The objective of this work is to highlight the importance of the HTB, as well as to evaluate its impact on Society, analyzing the benefits for the academic community and the population. The study was characterized as a scope review, through an investigation in the literature contemplating scientific productions published between the years 2003 and 2022, using the following descriptors: "Organ Donation", "Biosafety" and "Dentistry" in the databases of SciELO, PubMed and Lilacs data. The HTB promotes the valorization of the dental element, and favors the production of scientific research. Thus, its availability in institutions of higher and/or graduate education facilitates ethical procedures, and sensitizes the academic community, professionals and the population about the importance of recognizing the tooth as a human organ. However, such a non-fact does not perpetuate itself in reality. The need for the HTB in educational institutions is of paramount importance, as it is an incentive for the fight against the illegal trade in organs, in addition to acting to facilitate laboratory practices. Finally, it encourages the production of scientific research through in vitro clinical trials.