The world’s first tooth-regrowing drug has been approved for human trials

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I remember as a child seeing my grandmother without dentures for the first time. It was a terrifying experience. Now that my father has dentures, genetically speaking, it will be a few decades before I need them. But by then, modern medicine may have solved the problem of tooth loss, thanks to a new drug that will soon enter human trials.

medicine Literally regenerating teeth It was developed by a team of Japanese researchers. The study is led by Dr. Masaru Takahashi, head of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Kitano Hospital. The intravenous drug inactivates the uterine sensitization-associated gene 1 (USAG-1) protein, which inhibits tooth growth. Preventing USAG-1 from interacting with other proteins promotes bone growth and new teeth. Amazing, right?

Human trials begin in September, but the drug has been highly effective in treating ferrets and mice, with no serious side effects. Of course, the usual caveats apply. While humans are not mice or ferrets, the researchers seem confident that it will work on Homo sapiens. That’s because the USAG-1 protein works 97 percent similarly in humans and other species.

The September clinical trial will involve adults who are missing at least one molar, but the second trial The second trial will target children who are missing at least four teeth due to congenital tooth loss, and finally, the third trial will focus on older adults who are missing “one to five permanent teeth” due to environmental factors.

Takahashi and his colleagues are very optimistic about the drug, predicting it will be available to the general public by 2030. That means in six years we’ll be able to throw away our toothbrushes and eat candy bars all day without a second thought (although we probably wouldn’t actually do that).

While this is the first drug that can completely regenerate lost teeth, the science behind it is built on years of related research — after all, Takahashi has been working on this since 2005. Recent advances in the field include repairing diseased teeth and stem cell technology.