If all you wanted for Christmas was your two front teeth, you could literally grow new ones, say Japanese dentists testing a new drug they hope will be an alternative to dentures and expensive implants.
It’s accepted that humans and most mammals only grow two sets of teeth. Yet hidden underneath our gums are dormant ‘buds’ of a third generation of teeth, according to Katsu Takahashi, head of oral surgery at Osaka’s Medical Research Institute Kitano Hospital.
Last year Takahashi’s team started clinical trials to test an experimental medicine’s potential to kick-start growth of concealed teeth. Takahashi told Agence France Presse the treatment concept is “completely new” and could be available as early as 2030.
Tests on animals have shown that blocking a protein called USAG-1 can awaken the third set of teeth. His team has reported that “antibody treatment in mice is effective for tooth regeneration and can be a breakthrough in treating tooth anomalies in humans.”
Location, location, location
Takahashi believes the location of a new tooth in a mouth can be pinpointed by the drug injection. And if it grows in the wrong place, it can be moved by orthodontics or transplantation, he said.
The first trial is primarily testing the drug’s safety not its effectiveness, so participants are healthy adults who have lost at least one existing tooth.
If it works, these pioneering dentists would prioritise children initially, especially those who’ve had six or more permanent teeth missing since birth. This is due to a hereditary condition affecting 0.1% of people, who can have severe trouble chewing, and often wear face masks to hide the gaps.
Regrowing teeth would be welcome news in Japan, which has the world’s second-oldest population. Most Japanese who are 75-plus are missing teeth and Takahashi hopes that more teeth could extend people’s healthy lives.
First published by Agence France-Presse as written by Tomohiro Osaki
