Scientists have taken a major step toward creating biological Dental implants, successfully growing human-like teeth in a laboratory and placing them into the jaws of miniature pigs. The breakthrough, described by MIT Technology Review, signals a potential future in which patients could receive custom-grown replacement teeth instead of traditional artificial options.
Researchers at Tufts University engineered the tooth structures using a mix of bovine and human cells grown inside fragments of pig teeth. The work, detailed in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine, aims to develop next-generation Dental implants that better match the natural fit and function of real teeth.
Lead investigator Pamela Yelick, who directs a tissue bioengineering lab at Tufts, has spent years exploring ways to grow functional replacement teeth. “It’s very difficult to replace an implant, because first you have to rebuild all the bone that has been absorbed over time,” Yelick said. “We’re working on trying to create functional replacement teeth.”
To advance the research, Yelick and postdoctoral fellow Weibo Zhang used cells harvested from pig jaws, as pigs continually grow new teeth throughout their lives. In earlier phases, the team created pig-human hybrid tooth structures on biodegradable scaffolds and implanted them into rats, whose jaws were too small for more advanced prototypes.
In the latest study, the researchers built scaffolds from bovine tooth material and implanted them into the jaws of mini-pigs. After two months, they removed the lab-grown teeth and found that the structures had begun forming dentin and cementum—the hard layers that develop in adult human teeth.
While the teeth were not fully formed, Yelick said the progress is encouraging. She noted that the team is still working toward “beautifully formed” versions but believes the ultimate goal is within reach.
“We’re optimistic that one day we will be able to create a functional biological tooth substitute that can get into people who need tooth replacement,” she said.
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