Thread: Forget fillings, grow new teeth

Forget fillings, grow new teeth

25 Feb 2009, 0031 hrs IST, AGENCIES

LONDON: Those painful sessions with the dentist may now be a thing of the past. Scientists believe they have found a way to grow teeth in the laboratory, a discovery that could put an end to fillings and dentures.

The US team from Oregon have located the gene responsible for the growth of enamel, the hard outer layer of teeth which cannot grow back naturally, reports BBC News website. Other scientists are already growing the inner parts of teeth in animals — but they have no hard enamel coatings. The Ctip2 gene, also involved in the immune system and in the development of skin and nerves, governs the “production of tooth enamel”.

The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could one day allow people to grow replacement teeth when needed. The knowledge could be used to strengthen existing enamel and repair damaged enamel, cutting decay and the need for fillings, according to the experts.

very good post
as i am post graduate in oral pathology
i m interested in this field