Japanese dentists test drug to help people with missing teeth regrow new ones

Japanese dentists are testing a groundbreaking drug that could enable people with missing teeth to grow new ones, reducing the need for dentures and implants, AFP recently reported.

Katsu Takahashi, head of oral surgery at the Medical Research Institute Kitano Hospital in Osaka, explained that dormant buds of a third set of teeth exist beneath human gums. This challenges the conventional belief that humans, like most other mammals, grow only two sets of teeth in their lifetime.

In October, Takahashi’s team began clinical trials at Kyoto University Hospital, administering the experimental drug to adult test subjects. The researchers believe the medicine could stimulate the growth of these concealed teeth.

“This is a completely new technology,” Takahashi told AFP, emphasizing the advantages of restoring natural teeth.

Animal trials have shown promise

Studies on mice and ferrets reveal that blocking a protein called USAG-1 can trigger the development of a third set of teeth. Researchers have even published lab photographs of regrown animal teeth as evidence of the drug’s potential.

Last year, Takahashi’s team noted that their antibody treatment in mice was effective for tooth regeneration, describing it as a potential breakthrough for addressing tooth anomalies in humans.

Regrowing human teeth has long been a source of inspiration for scientists. In November, the Oral Health Group reported on researchers at the University of Manitoba studying the regenerative abilities of fish to regrow teeth, aiming to apply these findings to humans.