Emily Chan
The average adult human body consists of 206 bones. When one of these bones breaks, they have the remarkable ability to heal and regrow themselves.
Teeth, on the other hand, do not share this gift even though they are made of many of the same materials as bones.
So, if you lose a tooth as an adult, it is unlikely to be restored. However, that may not always be the case.
Researchers in Japan are moving forward with clinical trials of an experimental drug that is designed to regrow human teeth.
It is the first medicine of its kind to be introduced to the world. Once the medicine has been tested and deemed safe for human use, it will be administered in September to patients who lack a full set of teeth in order to prove its effectiveness. By 2030, the researchers hope the drug will be available for sale on the market.
“We want to do something to help those who are suffering from tooth loss or absence,” said Katsu Takahashi, the lead researcher of the study and the head of dentistry at the medical research institute at Kitano Hospital in Osaka.
“While there has been no treatment to date providing a permanent cure, we feel that people’s expectations for tooth growth are high.”
According to the hospital, the medicine will be given to 30 healthy males between the ages of 30 and 64 during the first stage of the clinical trials, which will take place over the course of 11 months. The subjects must be missing at least one back tooth.
For the second stage, the drug will be given to patients with congenital tooth deficiency. Around one percent of the world’s population is affected by congenital tooth deficiency.
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