Currently, the most common solution for missing teeth is the use of dental implants, which are artificial tooth roots that are surgically placed into the jawbone.
However, the idea of growing new teeth is an intriguing concept!
A drug capable of regrowing teeth would be a ground-breaking innovation, offering a potential alternative for individuals who have experienced tooth loss due to severe cavities or dental diseases.
Researchers from the dentistry and oral surgery department at the Medical Research Institute Kitano Hospital in Japan are currently developing a medication that could potentially enable people to grow a new set of teeth.
Following encouraging research outcomes in animals, the group intends to commence small-scale human trials of the tooth-regrowing drug next year, with the potential for the treatment to become available to the public by the end of the decade, pending successful results.
This drug blocks the protein USAG-1, which hinders tooth growth.
Based on previous research indicating that mice lacking the USAG-1 gene developed additional teeth; scientists discovered an antibody that can safely block one of the protein’s interactions without causing harmful side effects in other areas.
