Grow New Teeth?

Picture from Amazon

Last week I wrote about how consuming too much energy drinks can cause erosion in our teeth. I grind my teeth a lot when I sleep and have been using a night splint for the last 20 years. Also, I used to drink a lot more Coca Cola, sports drinks and consume energy gels back when I was competing. So I am worried about the erosion in my teeth.

If we fall and our bones break, the bones have the ability to heal and grow back. However with our teeth, the same cannot be said. Once you lose a tooth, that's it, unless you put in a dental implant to hold an artificial tooth on top.*

What if I told you now that growing back teeth may be a possibility in less than 5 years. Japanese researchers are now experimenting with an experimental drug that may regrow human teeth.

This is after years of study around Uterine sensitization-associated gene-1 (USAG-1), an antibody shown to inhibit the growth of teeth in ferrets and mice. However, back in 2021, the researchers found a monoclonal antibody (usually used in fighting cancer) that disrupted the interaction between USAG-1 and molecules known as bone morphogenetic protein or BMP. 

Suppressing USAG-1 benefits tooth growth. And believe it or not, ferrets have a similar dental characteristics to humans. Both develop 2 sets of teeth in a lifetime, a temporary set or "baby" teeth followed by a permanent adult set.

The researchers have started trials on humans. It will last 11 months and focus on 30 males between the ages of 30 and 64 with each missing at least one tooth. The drug will be administered intravenously to assess it's effectiveness and safety. Previous animal studies did not show any adverse side effects.

The researchers are hoping that if the trial goes well, they can administer this treatment to patients between the ages of 2 to 7 who are missing at least 4 teeth. The end goal will be to have tooth regrowing medicine by 2030. 

Although the current treatment will be focused on young patients with congenital tooth deficiency, the treatment will eventually be available to anyone who is missing a tooth. Human trials began last September 2024. Let's wait and see.

Reference

Murashima-Suginami A, Kiso H, Tokita Y et al (2021). Anti- USAG-1 Therapy For Tooth Regeneration Through BMP. Sci Advances. 7(7): eabf1798. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf1798

* Thanks to Dr Winston Tan and Dr Dr Frank Liew who have been looking after my implants and teeth all these years.