Lab-Grown Teeth From British Researchers: A Key Step For Regenerative Dentistry

Today, there is a limited list of options that can restore chewing functions after losing a tooth, as effective as tooth implants. This invasive procedure requires good materials and sufficient bone condition; additionally, it has some risk factors and can not guarantee 100% natural tooth functionality, and still, this is the best solution we have for now. At least yet.

Recently, a group of British scientists from King's College London and Imperial College London released research. They reported successful trials with the novel dental regenerative tool, which enables humans to grow teeth like sharks or elephants to replace missing ones.

Research context and main complications

King's College London scientists have been researching the idea of lab-grown teeth for about a dozen years. The main concept of that tool is to grow a bunch of young tooth cells in the lab and then transplant them into the patient's gum for further development.

The key challenge for all those years was the inability to grow these cells properly. Researchers tried to use many environments to mimic the human gums' environment, but the cells couldn't communicate adequately with each other. They send signals simultaneously – in one moment – disrupting the initial steps of tooth formation.

What exactly have researchers discovered?

In their last report, the research group reported that they had invented a special biomaterial that allows cells to slow their signals and use them over time, streamlining the growth process. This material is made of hydrogel with a specific proportion of gelatin and a stoichiometric ratio.

Currently, this tool exists only in the theoretical field, and researchers need to launch clinical trials to test whether lab-grown teeth can be placed in a human mouth without risks to patients' health. Xueche Zhang, lead author of the study, described a few options regarding how that operation can be performed:

"We have different ideas to put the teeth inside the mouth. We could transplant the young tooth cells to the location of the missing tooth and let them grow inside the 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."

Regenerative dentistry is a modern trend that has rapidly developed in the world, and a few institutions have already reported work on similar tools that can help patients grow new teeth, including developments by Toregem Biopharma and Kyoto University Hospital.