New light-based treatment ‘could allow patients to regenerate teeth’

Scientists in the US have developed a means of using low-power light to trigger stem cells inside the body to regenerate lost or damaged teeth.

The Harvard-led team used a low-power laser to trigger human dental stem cells to form dentin, the hard tissue that is similar to bone and makes up the majority of teeth. They were also able to outline the precise molecular mechanism involved.

Scientists were able to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method using multiple laboratory and animal models, including rodents. It was also noted that the lasers utilised in this method are already routinely used in medicine and dentistry, meaning barriers to clinical translation are low.

The team now hopes to take its innovative, noninvasive and effective new technique to human clinical trials.

Wyss Institute core faculty member Dr David Mooney said: "It would be a substantial advance in the field if we can regenerate teeth rather than replace them."

Stem cell research is one of the most prominent fields of medical research at the moment. Since they can develop into many different cell types under the right circumstances, they could be used in the treatment of many diseases, conditions and disabilities.