Losing a baby tooth is typically followed by the growth of an adult tooth in its place. However, when an adult tooth is lost, the current options are limited to dentures, titanium implants, or a noticeable gap. Nevertheless, a new possibility may soon emerge: teeth grown in a laboratory.

Scientists at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine have successfully cultivated a combination of human and pig tooth cells in pig jaws, which could potentially offer a viable solution for human tooth replacement in the future. According to a study published on December 27 in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine, the bioengineered tissue was implanted in the mandibles of test pigs, where it continued to grow and develop tooth-like material.

As noted by the Tufts dental researchers Weibo Zhang and Pamela Yelick in the study, “The long-term survival of dental implants is a concern due to their limited predicted survival rate of approximately 15 years, the potential for jawbone resorption, and the risk of peri-implantitis. Creating functional bioengineered teeth, composed of living tissues with properties similar to natural teeth, would significantly improve upon currently used synthetic titanium implants.” They further emphasized, “Our research has focused on developing biological tooth substitutes to address this possibility.”

Zhang and Yelick extracted cells from the enamel of pig teeth and cells from the dental pulp of human teeth, among other human cells, and grafted them onto a scaffold – essentially a biodegradable, tooth-shaped frame constructed from parts of pig teeth, as described by MIT Technology Review.

According to Yelick and Zhang, “The resulting bioengineered tooth bud constructs were implanted in the mandibles of adult Yucatan minipigs and allowed to grow for 2 or 4 months.” The researchers chose to work with mini pigs due to the similarities in size and anatomy between their mandibles and those of humans.

One can only imagine the unique smile that resulted – regular pig teeth growing alongside bioengineered, human-like ones. After the growth period, the researchers observed the formation of tooth-like tissues, including layers similar to dentin and cementum, which was a promising outcome.

As Yelick explained to MIT Technology Review, “They’re not perfectly formed teeth yet, but we’re optimistic that one day we’ll be able to create a functional biological tooth substitute that can be used for tooth replacement in people who need it.”

Yelick noted that further research is necessary before this technique can become a viable alternative. Meanwhile, their work contributes to a growing body of research that is pushing the boundaries of bioengineering in creating tissues and organs, aiming to provide patients with better alternatives to temporary synthetic materials or prolonged wait times for donor organs.