A team at Tufts University in Massachusetts has successfully bioengineered human-like teeth in pigs, marking a significant advancement in dental regenerative medicine. The researchers detailed their findings in a paper published in late December.
The team created these teeth by combining soft tissue from both human and pig teeth in a laboratory setting. This composite tissue was then transplanted into the mouths of Yucatan minipigs.
“The resulting bioengineered tooth bud constructs were implanted in the mandibles of adult Yucatan minipigs and grown for two or four months,” the study states. “We observed the formation of tooth-like tissues, including tooth-supporting periodontal ligament tissues, in cell-seeded decellularized tooth bud extracellular matrix constructs.”
The researchers noted that past bioengineering advances focused on using embryonic tooth bud cells and tissues to create small, functional teeth in rodents
“Our research focuses on creating bioengineered teeth,” the researchers said.
“In reality, the long-term survival of dental implants remains a health concern, based on their short-term predicted survival of ~15 years, significant potential for jawbone resorption, and risk of peri-implantitis.“
Tufts University’s researchers
Why grow teeth in a pig?
Researchers aim to improve dental care by developing bioengineered teeth, which could last longer than dental implants, typically expected to function for 15 years. Growing bioengineered teeth composed of living tissues with properties similar to natural teeth would be a significant improvement over the synthetic titanium implants currently in use.
Other attempts in growing teeth
This development is part of a broader trend in regenerative dental research.
In December, Japanese dentists began clinical trials for a groundbreaking drug that could enable people with missing teeth to grow new ones. The researchers believe the medicine could stimulate the growth of concealed teeth, challenging the notion that humans have only two sets of teeth.
Similarly, in November, the University of Manitoba officially opened its $2.5-million Rady Biomedical Fish Facility to research fish’s regenerative ability to grow teeth, with the hope of applying similar principles to human dental regeneration.
