2023-09-28 13:58:37
A team of scientists led by an emerging Japanese pharmaceutical company is working on a drug to stimulate the growth of new teeth, in what may be the first of its kind in the world, with the aim of putting it on the market by approximately 2030, according to the Japan Times and ABC Australia.
The company, “Torgem Biopharma”, with funding from Kyoto University, is expected to begin clinical trials on healthy adults in approximately July 2024 to ensure the safety of the drug, after the team succeeded in growing new teeth in mice in 2018.
Most people have “tooth buds” that have the potential to become new teeth, in addition to baby and permanent teeth, although the buds usually do not develop and disappear later.
Teeth cultured by researchers Katsu Takahashi)
The team has created a drug that inhibits the protein that prevents tooth growth. The drug acts on these buds and stimulates their growth.
The team plans to conduct a clinical trial of the drug starting in 2025 for children between the ages of two and six who suffer from tooth loss and are born without some or all of the permanent teeth. The children will be injected with a single dose to stimulate tooth growth.
There are also hopes for the future use of the drug for adults who have lost their teeth due to decay.
“Missing teeth in a child can affect the development of the jawbone,” said Katsuo Takahashi, co-founder of the company and head of the Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery at Kitano Hospital in Osaka. “We hope that the drug will serve as a key to solving these problems.”
Teeth emerge in two groups: the first is the baby teeth, which soon fall out and the second group is the permanent teeth. The health of the teeth and their supporting tissues (such as gums and alveolar bone) is important to a person’s health and well-being on both the physical and psychological levels.
Internal tooth parts
Enamel layer: It is the outer layer and is considered the hardest part of the human body. It has a high concentration of minerals, and it consists mainly of “hydroxyapatite”, which is a crystalline type of calcium phosphate. The dentin layer: It is the second layer of the tooth and is topped by the enamel layer. The color of dentin is yellow, it is less strong than enamel, and the concentration of minerals in it is also lower. It protects the pulp, and forms a support for the enamel and crown of the tooth. Pulp: It is located under the dentin and forms the tooth’s inner chamber. It contains blood vessels that transport oxygen and nutrients to the tooth, and nerves that transmit nerve signals and sensations from the tooth to the brain. Cementum: It is a yellow-colored layer surrounding the tooth root, and is attached to the alveolar bone via connective tissue. For example, gingivitis as a result of inflammation leads to its exposure, which may lead to tooth sensitivity and root decay in some cases.
There are 4 groups of teeth by type: incisors and canines that form the front teeth, and premolars and molars (plural of molars/molars) that form the back teeth.
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