Say Goodbye To Implants And Fillings? Scientists Grow Human Teeth In Lab For First Time

In a feat that could revolutionise dental care worldwide, scientists at King's College in London have successfully grown human teeth in a lab for the first time, according to a report in BBC. The breakthrough could help patients who have lost their teeth by offering an alternative to fillings or dental implants.

The team of researchers at King's College, in collaboration with Imperial College London, managed to develop a material that mimics the environment needed for tooth development. Effectively, one cell can tell another to start transforming into a tooth cell under laboratory conditions.

While many species can regenerate their teeth, humans only get one shot at it. Current replacement solutions, including removable and fixed dentures and dental implants, are invasive and often fail to fully restore natural tooth form and function.

"This method leverages cells, biomaterials, and growth factors to engineer tooth structures that mimic the features and functions of natural teeth," the study highlighted.

"The goal of regenerative dentistry is to bioengineer an entire tooth, which requires replicating the interactions between the dental epithelium and mesenchyme."

Tooth loss is a prevalent health issue affecting millions of individuals worldwide, caused by different factors. Beyond impairing chewing and speaking, tooth loss also causes aesthetic and psychological issues.

"This idea of replacing the tooth in a biological way by regrowing it, drew me to London and to King's. By growing a tooth in a dish, we are really filling in the gaps of knowledge," said Dr Ana Angelova-Volponi, associated with the study.

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Next challenge

Xuechen Zhang, a final year PhD student at the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences said the lab-grown teeth would naturally regenerate and integrate into the jaw as real teeth. The new teeth would be stronger, long-lasting and free from rejection risk, "offering a more durable and biologically compatible solution than fillings or implants".

While scientists have created the environment required to grow teeth, the next challenge is to figure out a way to place them into a patient's mouth from the lab.

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

Whatever the process scientists choose, it could still take years. However, the breakthrough may kickstarted a new era in dental care.

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