According to a recent study, scientists have successfully produced human teeth in a lab for the first time. The discovery, according to King's college London researchers, may eventually allow patients to grow back missing teeth as an alternative to dental implants or fillings.
The group created a substance that simulates the conditions required for tooth formation, enabling cells to communicate and start the tooth-forming process. According to Dr. Ana Angelova-Volponi, King's college London's director of regenerative dentistry, the study could "revolutionise dental care".
The study says some animals, like sharks and elephants, can grow new teeth, but humans only have one set from adulthood.
Therefore, researchers believe that the ability to regenerate teeth would be a significant advancement for dentistry.
The study describes how a lab-grown tooth created from a patient's own cells might integrate into the jaw and heal itself like a normal tooth, in contrast to implants and fillings, which are permanent and cannot change over time.
The study was developed over ten years in partnership with Imperial college London.
According to Xuechen Zhang, a researcher at the Oral & Craniofacial Sciences Faculty of Dentistry, fillings aren't the greatest option for tooth repair. They have a short lifespan, decrease tooth structure over time, and may cause more decay or discomfort.
"Invasive surgery and a healthy mix of implants and alveolar bone are necessary for implants. Since neither of these artificial methods completely restores normal tooth function, long-term issues could arise.
Natural regeneration would allow lab-grown teeth to reintegrate into the jaw like natural teeth. Compared to fillings or implants, they would be more robust, long-lasting, and free from rejection hazards, providing a more long-lasting and biologically compatible option.
Due to the cells' ineffective communication, earlier attempts to replicate this mechanism in the lab have failed.
Two potential strategies are currently being investigated by researchers: either growing an entire tooth in a lab before implanting it, or introducing early-stage tooth cells straight into the patient's jaw, where they can continue to develop.
"We have different ideas to put the teeth inside the mouth," Mr. Zhang continued. Young tooth cells could be transplanted to the missing tooth's position and allowed to develop inside the mouth.
As an alternative, the entire tooth might be made in the lab and then put into the patient's mouth. We must begin the very early stages of tooth formation in the lab for both choices.
Dr Angelova Volponi continued: "As the field progresses, the integration of such innovative techniques holds the potential to revolutionise dental care, offering sustainable and effective solutions for tooth repair and regeneration."
The group created a substance that simulates the conditions required for tooth formation, enabling cells to communicate and start the tooth-forming process. According to Dr. Ana Angelova-Volponi, King's college London's director of regenerative dentistry, the study could "revolutionise dental care".
The study says some animals, like sharks and elephants, can grow new teeth, but humans only have one set from adulthood.
Therefore, researchers believe that the ability to regenerate teeth would be a significant advancement for dentistry.
The study describes how a lab-grown tooth created from a patient's own cells might integrate into the jaw and heal itself like a normal tooth, in contrast to implants and fillings, which are permanent and cannot change over time.
The study was developed over ten years in partnership with Imperial college London.
According to Xuechen Zhang, a researcher at the Oral & Craniofacial Sciences Faculty of Dentistry, fillings aren't the greatest option for tooth repair. They have a short lifespan, decrease tooth structure over time, and may cause more decay or discomfort.
"Invasive surgery and a healthy mix of implants and alveolar bone are necessary for implants. Since neither of these artificial methods completely restores normal tooth function, long-term issues could arise.
Natural regeneration would allow lab-grown teeth to reintegrate into the jaw like natural teeth. Compared to fillings or implants, they would be more robust, long-lasting, and free from rejection hazards, providing a more long-lasting and biologically compatible option.
Due to the cells' ineffective communication, earlier attempts to replicate this mechanism in the lab have failed.
Two potential strategies are currently being investigated by researchers: either growing an entire tooth in a lab before implanting it, or introducing early-stage tooth cells straight into the patient's jaw, where they can continue to develop.
"We have different ideas to put the teeth inside the mouth," Mr. Zhang continued. Young tooth cells could be transplanted to the missing tooth's position and allowed to develop inside the mouth.
As an alternative, the entire tooth might be made in the lab and then put into the patient's mouth. We must begin the very early stages of tooth formation in the lab for both choices.
Dr Angelova Volponi continued: "As the field progresses, the integration of such innovative techniques holds the potential to revolutionise dental care, offering sustainable and effective solutions for tooth repair and regeneration."
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