Stem Cell Research Used in Dental Rejuvenation

By their 50s, Americans on the average have lost eight teeth. In some other countries it’s many more. How about growing a third set of teeth? Not false ones, either. Natural teeth, with all the trimmings—bones, roots, nerves—just like your second set. Stem cell researchers continue to make discoveries that offer hope for rejuvenating people’s teeth, gums and alveolar processes (the bone that holds the tooth in place).

Growing Implants

• Dental implants through the years have been a highly preferred method of replacing lost teeth. Made out of titanium alloys, they proved to be more durable and functional than dentures or bridges. But the procedure was also expensive and time-consuming.

  “Tribune-Review,” Feb. 8, 2009, published a report about scientists and engineers at the Center for Craniofacial Regeneration in Pittsburgh’s School of Dental Medicine. These researchers are developing ways to grow a human tooth “from scratch”—from stem cells.” Extracted tooth stem cells, from an extracted or baby tooth, are infused into a “scaffold” container that would encourage them to grow into a tooth. When it’s far enough along, it will be implanted in the patient’s jaw. There, hopefully, it will grow into a full-sized tooth. The stem cells could also be used to regrow and strengthen alveolar processes into which regular implants could be screwed more securely.

Replants—Not Implants

• Your desire is to keep your pearly whites all yours and all natural.

  According to the “Journal of Dental Research,” researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center made a giant leap in dental science. They used stem cells to grow a new tooth in just nine weeks. Eventually, they hope that this technique will replace dentures and implants to replace lost or extracted teeth. Their experiment took place in a mouse. Rather than growing a tooth out of harvested stem cells as in previous experiments, it was grown in the socket itself, where it could integrate with bone and gum.

Shapely Teeth

• The lead researcher, Dr. Mao, stated that “these findings represent the first report of anatomically shaped tooth-like structures in vivo.” He expressed hope that some day procedures like this in dentistry would reduce the need for the arduous and sometimes not so successful dental implants.

Another Method

• Stem cell scientists can rejuvenate teeth in mice. They hope humans are not far behind.

  In other countries, scientists are looking for ways to aid dental rejuvenation. In 2007, Reuters News Service reported on Japanese researchers using cells for tooth regeneration. First, using mesenchymal stem cells, they grew teeth in a lab dish filled with collagen. Then they transplanted the teeth into a mouse. There, the teeth matured normally. "Our reconstituted tooth germ generates a complete and entirely bio-engineered tooth," stated the lead researcher, Takashi Tsuji of the Tokyo University of Science.

Predictions

• Human teeth are not as simple as they may appear. Beneath the enamel is the dentin (the softer tissue) and then the nerve-filled pulp and blood vessels. Pamela Yelick, director of Tufts University's Division of Craniofacial and Molecular Genetics, estimates it will be in 2014 or later before human testing can begin, if all goes as planned. "There are many, many, many challenges," she said.