Dental Stem Cells May Grow Replacement Teeth

U.S. doctors have managed to grow pig teeth in rat intestines, a feat of bioengineering they said could spark a dental revolution.

Researchers at Boston’s Forsyth Institute said their successful experiment suggests the existence of dental stem cells, which could one day allow a person to replace a lost or missing tooth with an identical tooth from his or her own cells.

The research may signal that the days of synthetic dental implants could be numbered.

The research was due to be published in the Oct. 1 issue of Journal of Dental Research.