Science Health 08/26/2024
A Japanese team will begin clinical trials in September to develop a drug to promote tooth growth.
Researchers from Kitano Hospital and Kyoto University Hospital will treat people with congenital anodontia, meaning they were born with few teeth.
To test its safety, the experimental drug will first be given to adult men who have lost their back teeth, before being applied to children suffering from congenital anodontia. The aim is to implement the treatment around 2030.
One in 100 people in Japan are thought to suffer from congenital anodontia, while one in 1,000 people are thought to have a genetic predisposition to losing six or more teeth. There is no basic treatment for the condition, and children with the condition must constantly wear new dentures as they grow.
After discovering a protein, called USAG-1, that prevents teeth from growing, researchers developed a drug that inhibits its function. Mice and dogs with congenital anodontia grew teeth when given the drug.
(left) The inside of the mouth of a mouse with congenital anodontia, with a tooth missing in the dotted circle. (right) A tooth was able to grow in after administration of the newly developed drug.
