BACKGROUND:Studies have shown that dental pulp cells can differentiate into odontoblastic like cells under certain stimulations, which is regulated by several signal pathways network. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the research progress of stimulating molecules and underlying molecular mechanisms of dental pulp cells’ odontoblastic differentiation. METHODS:A computer-based online search of CNKI and Wanfang databases was undertaken for the related Chinese articles dated from January 1998 to July 2014 with the keywords of“dental pulp cells”and“odontoblastic differentiation”in Chinese. Meanwhile, PubMed database was searched for the related English articles dated from January 1998 to July 2014 with the same keywords in English. Those with unrelated research subjects, or repetitive studies were excluded. Final y, 63 articles were reviewed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Various stimuli, including bone morphogenetic protein,β-glycerophosphate and ascorbic acid, can stimulate dental pulp cells differentiation into odontoblastic like cells under certain conditions regulated by several signal pathways network. But odontoblastic differentiation is a complex process, and further research into stimulating molecules and underlying molecular mechanisms of dental pulp cells’ odontoblastic differentiation is significantly important for clinical applications of dental regenerative therapy.