Researchers have managed to grow new pig鈥檚 teeth in the body of rats. The feat suggests it might one day be possible for people to replace lost or damaged teeth with identical ones grown to order from their own cells.
鈥淥ur work has the potential to revolutionise dentistry,鈥� says Pamela Yelick, whose team at the Forsyth Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, performed the work. 鈥淲ithin five years we will know whether dental stem cells can be manipulated to bioengineer human teeth. But to generate a human tooth might take an additional five to 10 years.鈥�
The scientists have so far produced over 30 teeth from cells extracted from the tooth buds of six-month-old pigs. These cells were seeded onto biodegradable scaffolds made from polymers of polyglycolic acid. The scaffolds were then transplanted into rat abdomens and allowed to develop for 30 weeks. By this time, recognisable molars had formed. 鈥淥nly the roots of the teeth were missing,鈥� Yelick told 快猫短视频. 鈥淏ut we think that if the teeth had developed near the jawbone then the roots may have formed too.鈥�
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All of the teeth produced so far have been molars, but Yelick is also hopeful that the full range of teeth could be grown: 鈥淭he teeth grow in the shape of the mould, so we hope that we鈥檒l be able to produce teeth in any size and shape.鈥�
Dentine and enamel
There has been a recent flurry of promising results in the quest to grow teeth in the lab. In 2000, scientists at the National Institutes of Health, near Washington DC, discovered stem cells inside the pulp cavities of teeth. These proved capable of producing dentine 鈥� the bony substance that lies beneath tooth enamel.
Then a team at Texas University Dental School discovered a source of cells in mice that give rise to the enamel of adult teeth. When these cells were grown alongside dental pulp stem cells, dentine and enamel structures formed. And earlier in 2002, British researchers revealed that they had managed to grow immature teeth from mice stem cells.
But despite the string of discoveries, the British Dental Association says that dentists are unlikely to find themselves redundant in the near future.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all very well in a disposable society to think that when your teeth rot you can just go out and get a new set,鈥� said a spokeswoman. 鈥淭he fact is you will still need someone to look after your teeth and it鈥檚 unlikely that replacement teeth will be affordable for all.鈥�
Journal reference: Journal of Dental Research (vol 81, p 695)