Laser light triggers stem cells to regrow teeth

With a simple, low-power laser, Harvard University scientists have triggered naturally-occurring dental stem cells to regrow teeth in rats. The work is a step toward developing a new form of dental therapy that could be used in people, but also represents a broader shift in thinking about how to trigger the body’s natural regenerative capacity.

Laser light triggers stem cells to regrow teeth Arany1HR.r

Laser light triggers stem cells to regrow teeth Arany1HR.r

In the new research, described in the journal Science Translational Medicine on Wednesday, scientists injured two rat molars, side by side, and then administered the laser treatment to only one tooth. They saw roughly twice the amount of regeneration that occurred on the untreated tooth, after a single, five-minute laser treatment.

“There have been lots of anecdotal reports that laser treatment can trigger regeneration, but it has been unclear how reproducible it is,” said David Mooney, a professor of bioengineering at Harvard who led the work.

The researchers also began to untangle how the laser treatment worked, by triggering a molecular chain of events within the tissue. Those insights suggest, more broadly, that stem cell therapies may not always require creating cells and grafting them back into the body, but could also include triggering cells in the body to form new tissue using external stimulation.

The portion of the tooth that grew back is called dentin -- a mineralized tissue that forms a layer between the pulp and the outer enamel of the tooth. The new dentin had a different structure than in naturally-occurring teeth, which may be a problem to be refined and studied further.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/science/2014/05/28/laser-light-triggers-stem-cells-regrow-teeth/esb9dQxOWVsQQj27fGdEiP/story.html

Laser light triggers stem cells to regrow teeth

Laser light triggers stem cells to regrow teeth

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