Scientists Advance Efforts to Regrow Teeth With Enamel-Producing Cells

Researchers have taken another step toward the possibility of regrowing teeth, developing a method that transforms human stem cells into enamel-producing cells that could eventually be used to regenerate damaged or missing tooth structure.

The study, published in the International Journal of Oral Science, investigated how scientists could guide human stem cells toward becoming ameloblasts, the specialized cells responsible for producing tooth enamel. Unlike most cells in the human body, ameloblasts are not naturally regenerated after tooth development, which makes enamel one of the few tissues the body cannot repair on its own.

Researchers focused on the Notch signaling pathway, which plays an important role in the development and maturation of ameloblasts. The team developed a soluble Notch agonist designed to activate this pathway and found that it could promote the maturation of stem-cell-derived ameloblasts.

The resulting cells demonstrated characteristics associated with mature enamel-producing cells, including increased expression of proteins involved in enamel formation. Researchers also developed organoid models that produced enamel-like mineralized tissue, providing a potential foundation for future approaches to tooth regeneration.

The findings build on previous work by the same research group aimed at developing biological approaches to replace enamel and potentially regenerate teeth. The researchers say the ability to generate functional ameloblasts could ultimately help address a major limitation in regenerative dentistry: the inability of mature teeth to naturally produce new enamel.