Scientists, who have been working since 2005 to regrow decayed or extracted teeth, have rolled up their sleeves for a never-before-seen treatment at Kyoto University. Wouldn’t it be a tremendous ability to regrow our own teeth?
So, at what stage is this discovery, which predicts that tooth loss will no longer be a problem in the near future?
The beginning of studies aiming to replace the teeth we lost for various reasons is based on gene research conducted on mice.
Many researchers who tried to delete some genes in mice noticed a significant decrease in the number of teeth produced by mice due to this gene deficiency. This reaction of the mice actually opened the doors to different questions.
What if the opposite could also be possible? What if genetically modifying mice allowed them to grow more teeth? Based on these questions, it did not take long for Katsu Takahashi, chief investigator and head of the department of dentistry and oral surgery at a hospital in Japan, to discover that the number of teeth in mice lacking a certain gene actually increased.
So, with which gene is this possible?
Researchers found that a protein called USAG-1 prevents new tooth formation, and by blocking this protein from the cells, more teeth emerged. Isn’t this enormous impact of a single gene on tooth structure quite surprising?
After this discovery, an antibody drug that blocked the USAG-1 protein was developed, and some toothless mice gained new teeth thanks to this drug. In other words, this treatment allowed new tooth formation for the first time in the world.
At this point, the first question that comes to mind is undoubtedly whether this is possible in humans.
Of course, just because the drug works in mice does not mean that it will have the same effect on humans, but researchers are very intentional about applying this treatment to people with anodontia, where they think genetic factors are effective in the first place.
Anodontia, seen in approximately 1 in 100 people, is a disorder experienced by people without 6 or more teeth. This lack of teeth, which is thought to play a large role in genetics, can be congenital or acquired later on and causes many problems, from chewing to speaking skills.
If this discovery, which gave a positive response in mice, also shows obvious effects in people with anodontia, the lights of hope will begin to shine for people who lose their teeth for various reasons.
But human and animal anatomy is quite different, and experts are rolling up their sleeves to observe in detail the positive and negative effects of this drug on humans.
Takahashi and his team started working to complete safety studies by 2025 and dose studies by 2028. If everything goes as planned, it seems that by 2030, lost teeth will no longer be a problem.
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