Mar. 8, 2013 Scientists have developed a new method of replacing missing teeth with a bioengineered material generated from a person's own gum cells. Current implant-based methods of whole tooth replacement fail to reproduce a natural root structure and as a consequence of the friction from eating and other jaw movement, loss of jaw bone can occur around the implant. The research is led by Professor Paul Sharpe, an expert in craniofacial development and stem cell biology at King's College London and published in the Journal of Dental Research. Research towards achieving the aim of producing bioengineered teeth -- bioteeth -- has largely focussed on the generation of immature teeth (teeth primordia) that mimic those in the embryo that can be transplanted as small cell 'pellets' into the adult jaw to develop into functional teeth. Remarkably, despite the very different environments, embryonic teeth primordia can develop normally in the adult mouth and thus if suitable cells can be identified that can be combined in such a way to produce an immature tooth, there is a realistic prospect bioteeth can become a clinical reality. Subsequent studies have largely focussed on the use of embryonic cells and although it is clear that … Continue reading →

Washington, Mar 9 (ANI): Scientists have developed a new technique to replace missing teeth with a bioengineered material generated from a person's own gum cells. Current implant-based methods of whole tooth replacement fail to reproduce a natural root structure and as a consequence of the friction from eating and other jaw movement, loss of jaw bone can occur around the implant. The research is led by Professor Paul Sharpe, an expert in craniofacial development and stem cell biology at King's College London. Research towards achieving the aim of producing bioengineered teeth - bioteeth - has largely focussed on the generation of immature teeth (teeth primordia) that mimic those in the embryo that can be transplanted as small cell 'pellets' into the adult jaw to develop into functional teeth. Remarkably, despite the very different environments, embryonic teeth primordia can develop normally in the adult mouth and thus if suitable cells can be identified that can be combined in such a way to produce an immature tooth, there is a realistic prospect bioteeth can become a clinical reality. Subsequent studies have largely focussed on the use of embryonic cells and although it is clear that embryonic tooth primordia cells can readily form … Continue reading →

Public release date: 8-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Katherine Barnes katherine.barnes@kcl.ac.uk 44-207-848-3076 King's College London Scientists have developed a new method of replacing missing teeth with a bioengineered material generated from a person's own gum cells. Current implant-based methods of whole tooth replacement fail to reproduce a natural root structure and as a consequence of the friction from eating and other jaw movement, loss of jaw bone can occur around the implant. The research is led by Professor Paul Sharpe, an expert in craniofacial development and stem cell biology at King's College London and published in the Journal of Dental Research. Research towards achieving the aim of producing bioengineered teeth bioteeth has largely focussed on the generation of immature teeth (teeth primordia) that mimic those in the embryo that can be transplanted as small cell 'pellets' into the adult jaw to develop into functional teeth. Remarkably, despite the very different environments, embryonic teeth primordia can develop normally in the adult mouth and thus if suitable cells can be identified that can be combined in such a way to produce an immature tooth, there is a realistic prospect bioteeth can become a clinical reality. Subsequent studies have largely … Continue reading →

Dentists could soon tell patients to throw away their dentures after scientists discovered a way to 'grow' new teeth coated in enamel. The technique involved growing cells from human gum tissue, then combining them with tooth stem cells taken from a mouse embryo. These cell clusters were then transplanted by researchers into an adult mouse kidney where they subsequently grew into teeth-like structures. The human-mouse hybrid teeth were also discovered to contain dentin - the key structural material of teeth - as well as hard protective enamel. There was also evidence of root formation. The two kinds of cell used were epithelial 'surface lining' cells from human gum tissue, and mesenchymal 'tooth' cells from the mouse embryo. Professor Paul Sharpe, who led the research at King's College said: "The human epithelial cells are capable of responding to signals from the embryonic tooth cells from the mouse to contribute to crown and root growth. "These accessible human epithelial cells are thus a realistic source for consideration in human tooth formation." At present it is not considered ethical or practical to use human embryos in dentistry. "The next major challenge is to identify a way to culture adult human mesenchymal cells to … Continue reading →

8 March 2013 Last updated at 20:12 ET Dentists may one day be able to replace missing teeth with ones newly grown from gum cells, say UK researchers. The team from King's College London took cells from adult human gum tissue and combined them with another type of cell from mice to grow a tooth. They say using a readily available source of cells pushes the technology a step nearer to being available to patients. But it is still likely to be many years before dentists can use the method. Other work has focused on using embryonic stem cells to create "bioteeth". It proved it could be done but is expensive and impractical for use in the clinic, the researchers said. In the latest study they took human epithelial cells from the gums of human patients, grew more of them in the lab and mixed them with mesenchyme cells from mice. The mesenchyme cells were cultured to be "inducing" - they instruct the epithelial cells to start growing into a tooth. Transplanting the cell combination into mice, researchers were able to grow hybrid human/mouse teeth that had viable roots, they reported in the Journal of Dental Research. Link: Researchers grow … Continue reading →