Lab-grown teeth advances dentistry - 28th April 2025

A collaboration between scientists from two London universities has achieved the feat of growing human teeth in a laboratory.

The researchers, from Kings College and Imperial College London, have provided proof of concept for replacing decayed teeth with newly grown ones. Heralding a major leap forward in dentistry, the ability to regenerate a tooth with the recipient's own cells would enable it to integrate and repair itself, acting just as a natural tooth would.

According to King's College Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences member Xuechen Zhang, fillings and implants aren't the best fit for correcting damage and decay.

"Lab-grown teeth would naturally regenerate, integrating into the jaw as real teeth. They would be stronger, longer lasting and free from rejection risks, offering a more durable and biologically compatible solution than fillings or implants."

Whereas regenerating lost teeth is de rigeur for numerous species, including sharks, human biology limits individuals to one adult set of pearly whites. Uncovering a biological solution fired the imagination of Dr Ana Angelova-Volponi, Director of Regenerative Dentistry at King's College.

"The idea of replacing the tooth in a biological way by regrowing it, drew me to London and to Kings. By growing a tooth in a dish, we are really filling in the gaps of knowledge."

The landmark breakthrough, the culmination of a decade of research, honed in on the tooth-growing environment. The introduction of a specific material facilitated communication between cells, thereby allowing one cell to "tell" another to differentiate as a tooth cell.

With this success under their belt, scientists are now setting their sights on identifying the most appropriate method of implanting the newly-cultured tooth into the mouth. This would be done either by transplanting the juvenile tooth cells to the affected area to grow in situ, or instead allowing the tooth to fully develop in the laboratory before subsequently making the transplant.

The team believes breakthroughs like these will transform the landscape of modern dentistry. Alongside this, their studies are contributing to the wider field of regenerative medicine, harnessing biology to restore or regrow many parts of the human anatomy through stem cell research.