Japan plans to start testing a drug to grow teeth

Scientists at the Japanese Kitano Institute for Medical Research plan to begin testing a drug to treat tooth aplasia next September.

The Japanese newspaper The Mainichi indicates that, according to scientists, this drug will practically be able to be used on a large scale after six years.

Dental aplasia causes a lack of teeth during jaw bone growth at an early age, making it difficult to use dentures and dental implants. This innovative medicine affects tooth buds. As a result, it will be able to replace non-developing or lost teeth.

The newspaper indicates that congenital hypodontia - the loss of 6 or more teeth is known as (oligodontia), and it is a hereditary condition that occurs in 1 percent of people.

According to the institute's documents, men between the ages of 30 and 65 who do not suffer from obvious health problems and are missing one or more molars will be selected to test the innovative drug, where the drug will be injected intravenously. Testing will continue until August 2025.

The innovators say: “The tooth regrowth drug inhibits the activity of the USAG-1 protein, which prevents tooth growth. Therefore, in the future, it will be possible to implant teeth not only in people with congenital diseases, but also in those who have lost their teeth due to decay or injury.”

It should be noted that researchers tested the innovative drug on animals in 2018, and succeeded in growing teeth in mice and other rodents.