A team of scientists in Japan is working on a drug that could help teeth grow in the future. After recent animal research showed promising results, the team plans to test the drug on a small scale in humans starting next year. If all goes well, the treatment could be available to the public by the end of the decade.
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Scientists at the Kitano Hospital in Osaka, along with other institutions, are developing experimental treatments. This drug is designed to block the action of a protein called USAG-1. Previously, the team conducted research that showed that mice without the specific gene needed to produce USAG-1 continued to grow extra teeth. Their research showed that USAG-1 appears to bind to other proteins to block tooth growth. Finally, it appears that an antibody has been found that can block one of these interactions, without causing dangerous side effects elsewhere.
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In 2021, the team published the results of their research, which included testing both mice and ferrets. Last month, the Japanese newspaper Mainichi reported that the team was progressing well and planned to test the treatment on humans in July 2024.
"The idea of growing new teeth is every dentist's dream. I've been working on this since I was a graduate student," said Katsu Takahashi, the team's lead researcher.
The drug will be tested in people with the rare genetic condition adontia, which causes the inability to develop teeth. Takahashi believes that if the clinical trial is completed, the drug could receive regulatory approval by 2030. Initially, the drug is intended to be used as a treatment for children with adontia between the ages of 2 and 6.
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However, the team believes that their treatment and future iterations of it could have even broader applications. They say that in the future it could be possible to regrow a third set of teeth in people who have lost their teeth due to gum disease or other common conditions. In the US, 25% of people over the age of 65 have severe tooth loss, defined as having eight or fewer teeth remaining, while one in six seniors has lost all of their teeth.
