Last summer, we reported about recent developments in the field of regenerative dentistry – from Toregem Biopharma researchers – the drug that can help to grow back missed teeth.
Apparently, scientists moved further in this direction, and this month, a team from Kyoto University Hospital shared news that they are successfully testing medicine for the same purpose.
How does it work?
While most mammals can grow only two pairs of teeth over their lives, a leading researcher – Katsu Takahashi – claims that under our gums located dormant buds of the third set of teeth. The invented drug contains an antibody that targets the USAG-1 protein, allowing hidden third teeth to grow.
Animal trials on mice and ferrets have already demonstrated promising results.
Why it's important?
First of all, such a drug can replace an implantation procedure that is usually quite costly and invasive, which brings additional risks to patients' health risk.
Additionally, this drug can significantly help people with severe inherited conditions that cause in-born missing teeth. Such conditions affect about 0.1% of the worldwide population, dramatically affecting the patient's quality of life and causing trouble with chewing.
According to scientists, these people are the prior targets of the newly invented drug, and they hope to release it after 2030.
