New method of replicating teeth for implantation discovered

Researchers in Japan have found a way of multiplying teeth, marking a significant breakthrough in regenerative medicine.

A team from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, working with Tokyo Medical and Dental University, have been able to extract teeth germs – groups of cells formed early in life that later develop into teeth – from animal test subjects.

These germs were split them into two and then implanted into the jaws of the mice in question, where they developed into two fully functional teeth fully functional, capable of chewing and feeling stimulus, though they were only half the size of normal teeth.

Significantly, the researchers were able to manipulate the teeth using orthodontic methods, equivalent to braces, and the bone adjusted properly to accommodate the movement of the teeth.

Study leader Takashi Tsuji said: "Our method could be used for paediatric patients who have not properly developed teeth as a result of conditions such as cleft lip or Down syndrome, since the germs of permanent teeth or wisdom teeth could be split and implanted."

He added that stem cells could also be used to grow more germs, but there are currently barriers involved in culturing such cells, which would need to be overcome for this to be viable.