After a decade of research, scientists from King's College London and Imperial College London have successfully cultivated human teeth in the lab using a patient's own cells.
According to the researchers, these lab-grown teeth could naturally fuse with the jawbone and have the ability to repair them, paving the way for new dental treatments and providing an alternative to conventional fillings and implants, reports India Today.
They noted that tooth loss is a widespread issue impacting millions globally, often leading to reduced quality of life and costly dental care.
Dentistry options such as fillings and implants provide stops that are limited solutions. Fillings can weaken tooth structure over time, have a limited lifespan, and increase the risk of decay and sensitivity.
Implants, though more durable, require invasive surgery, must be supported by a healthy jawbone, and cannot fully restore natural tooth function.
The new research, published in ACS Publications, points to a future of dental restoration in which individuals can regrow their teeth.
The team created a material that replicates the environment required for tooth development. This made it possible for the cells that make teeth to interact and start the process of development.
Dr. Ana Angelova-Volponi, director of regenerative dentistry at King’s, stated that this innovation could “revolutionise dental care.”
Researcher Xuechen Zhang added that lab-grown teeth would be stronger, longer-lasting, and free of rejection risks, offering a biologically compatible solution significantly better than current methods.
Researchers are now exploring two possible future applications: either growing an entire tooth in the lab before implanting it, or directly inserting early-stage tooth cells into the patient’s jaw where they would mature naturally.
Previous attempts had failed due to poor cellular communication, but this breakthrough overcomes that challenge.
While still in its early stages, this discovery of the potential to regrow natural teeth could mark the beginning of a new era in regenerative dental medicine.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
