But it won't be relatively affordable until 10 years from now
Japanese dentists are almost finished developing a drug that could allow people to grow new teeth. Its essence is to create antibodies to neutralize the USAG-1 protein, which limits tooth growth: accordingly, thanks to the drug, teeth will be able to grow without restrictions. 2cf.jpg» class=»article__picture-image» alt=»But it won't be relatively accessible until 10 years from now» />
Project Author, Head of Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Keith Medical Research Institute Hospital but Katsu Takahashi admitted that it was always his dream to grow new teeth for a person. Today, this dream is closer than ever to being realized.
Human clinical trials are due to begin in July 2024. So far, experiments have been carried out only on animals.
An important nuance: we are not talking about an alternative to crowns for healthy people who have lost one or two teeth due to illness or injury. This medication will be for those who are missing a full set of adult teeth due to congenital factors. The use as an analogue of dentures can also be discussed, but much later.
As Moscow dentist Tigran Grigoryan explained in an interview with an MK correspondent, it is too early to talk about this innovation as really significant for medicine — at least 10 years of clinical trials must pass before the technology becomes available to patients.
— First you need to understand the terminology. The Japanese did not come up with a “tooth growth pill”, they came up with a special drug that can neutralize the USAG-1 protein. This protein, in turn, blocks the growth of teeth. Here you need to understand: teeth do not grow in an instant, first the crown part of the tooth (capsule) is formed. Then they cut through. While some are being cut, others are germinating. The drug is aimed precisely at helping this capsule to form, the doctor explained.
Dr. Grigoryan added that he already had experience in creating such teeth, but they turned out to be ugly and shapeless. The new experiment, perhaps, will become more successful, but it will not be possible to use its results soon. And, most likely, such technology will be very expensive for patients.