The fight for dental regeneration has taken another step. Japanese researchers have begun testing a drug that promises to boost the growth of new teeth. The scientists’ work aims, at some point, to generate more functional alternatives to current dental prostheses.
The medication is based on the hypothesis that, under each adult gum, there is a dormant bud of a third generation of teeth. The body keeps these dental buds inactive, but if cellular activity can be activated, they could grow in the missing region, just as happens after baby teeth fall out. Doctors behind the milestone of tooth regeneration are currently searching for the right component to trigger growth.
How do new teeth grow?
The key seems to be in the USAG-1 gene. Scientists have found a direct relationship between the deficiency of this gene and the presence of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), which encourages the development of permanent teeth. People who do not express USAG-1 correctly tend to have supernumerary teeth (extra teeth that appear suddenly). Therefore, doctors know that the protein plays a relevant role in regulating tooth production.
In previous experiments with mice and ferrets, Japanese scientists achieved the growth of third-generation teeth. To do this, they blocked the USAG-1 protein with antibodies dedicated to attacking it without generating side effects. The research published in Science it was considered a success in 2023. His dream of growing additional teeth had reached a new stage.
In October 2024, the same scientists have started clinical trials at Kyoto University Hospital to seek approval of the drug. The test subjects are adults with missing teeth. This first attempt aims to replicate the procedure carried out with mice and ferrets a year ago. However, you should also check whether the third generation human parts are functional and aesthetic.
There is hope in treatment, even if it does not go as expected. An injection with the antibodies will give precision to the treatment and, if the tooth comes in on the other side, it will be fixed with conventional orthodontic treatment.
Doctors working on the drug are seeking to cure a fairly rare hereditary condition called anodontia. People with anodontia cannot develop teeth naturally. Beyond the aesthetic context, those who live with the genetic condition have eating problems throughout their childhood.
If the treatment is successful in humans, the first to receive the drug will be children with anodontia, the researchers confirm. There is still a long way to go, but the steps seem to be the right ones. Third-generation teeth could arrive in the 2030s. After their application to treat the genetic condition, they will be used generally in the field of dentistry.
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