Breakthrough in research into lab-grown teeth

Breakthrough in research into lab-grown teeth

Major breakthrough in research as scientists have successfully created the environment needed for lab-grown teeth.

As published in Dentistry, researchers at King’s College London (KCL) believe that, in the future, this could lead to patients regrowing teeth as an alternative treatment to fillings or dental implants. Additionally, lab-grown teeth would present a stronger, more durable, and more biologically compatible treatment for missing teeth.

The KCL researchers, in the latest study, successfully introduced a material that enables cells to communicate, meaning one cell can tell another to differentiate into a tooth cell. This mimics the environment of growing teeth, allowing the researchers to recreate the process in a lab.

PhD student from the faculty of dentistry, oral and craniofacial sciences at KCL, Xuechen Zhang, said: “We developed this material in collaboration with Imperial College to replicate the environment around the cells in the body, known as the matrix. This meant that when we introduced the cultured cells, they were able to send signals to each other to start the tooth formation process.

“Previous attempts had failed, as all the signals were sent in one go. This new material releases signals slowly over time, replicating what happens in the body.”

Now that the environment for lab-grown teeth has been created, researchers must develop a way to transfer the teeth to the mouth.

Zhang continues: “We have different ideas to put the teeth inside the mouth. We could transplant the young tooth cells at the location of the missing tooth and let them grow inside mouth. Alternatively, we could create the whole tooth in the lab before placing it in the patient’s mouth.

“For both options, we need to start the very early tooth development process in the lab.”

> Since you’re here, why not read about the latest working pattern data for dental professionals?

Main image credit: Unsplash

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