People with missing teeth may be able to grow new ones, according to Japanese dentists who have tested a pioneering drug they hope will offer an alternative to dentures and implants.
Unlike reptiles and fish, which usually replace their fangs on a regular basis, it is widely accepted that humans and most other mammals only grow two sets of teeth.
But hidden underneath our gums are the dormant buds of a third generation.
A team at Kitano Hospital in Osaka launched clinical trials at Kyoto University Hospital in October, administering an experimental medicine to adult test subjects that has the potential to jumpstart the growth of these concealed teeth.
It’s a technology “completely new” to the world, Dr Katsu Takahashi told AFP.
Tests on mice and ferrets suggest that blocking a protein called USAG-1 can awaken the third set, and the researchers have published lab photographs of regrown animal teeth.
In a study published last year, the team said their “antibody treatment in mice is effective for tooth regeneration and can be a breakthrough in treating tooth anomalies in humans”.
For now, the dentists are prioritising the “dire” needs of patients with six or more permanent teeth missing from birth.
The hereditary condition is said to affect around 0.1 per cent of people, who can have severe trouble chewing, and in Japan often spend most of their adolescence wearing a face mask to hide the wide gaps in their mouth.
“This drug could be a game changer for them,” Dr Takahashi said.
The drug is therefore aimed primarily at children, and the researchers want to make it available as early as 2030.
