New teeth 'could soon be grown'

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BBC

Last Updated: Monday, 3 May, 2004, 00:57 GMT 01:57 UK

New teeth 'could soon be grown'

Technology to grow replacement teeth could mean the end of

dentures.

Scientists at King's College London have been awarded £500,000 to

help them develop human teeth from stem cells.

The company Odontis, set up by the college, hopes to develop its

research for tests on humans within two years after successful research

on mice.

Stem cells, the so-called master cells, would be programmed to

develop into teeth and then transplanted into the patient's jaw where

the gap is.

It is thought it would then take two months for the tooth to fully

develop.

Healthy gums

But it could be five years before the technology is widely

available to the general public.

On average Britons aged over 50 lose around 12 teeth out of 32.

Professor Sharpe is the genetic research scientist behind the

technique and head of division of Craniofacial Biology and Biomaterials

at the Dental Institute at King's College.

He said: " A key advantage of our technology is that a living tooth

can preserve the health of the surrounding tissues much better than

artificial prosthesis.

" Teeth are living, and they are able to respond to a person's

bite.

" They move and in doing so they maintain the health of the

surrounding gums and teeth. "

The cost should not be more than the price of synthetic implants

of between £1,500 - £2,000.

His project has been awarded £300,000 from the Wellcome Trust,

£100,000 from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the

Arts (Nesta) and £100,000 from a business sponsor.

A spokesman for the British Dental Association (BDA) said: " The

BDA welcomes projects like Odontis and looks forward to seeing further

progress in this field. "

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org