New insights into the cell composition and growth of teeth are helping to speed up dental treatments.
- Soft tissues with connective tissue, nerves and blood vessels are related to three different types of hard tissues in a functional part of the body.
- These findings may also explain aspects of the immune system in teeth and shed new light on the formation of tooth enamel, the hardest tissue in our bodies.
Researchers have succeeded in identifying and characterizing all the cells of the teeth in the young and during growth. This new knowledge makes it possible to envisage an acceleration of regenerative dentistry and the treatment of tooth sensitivity. The study was conducted by Swedish researchers from the Karolinska Institute, together with scientists from the Medical University of Vienna (Austria) and Harvard University (USA). The results were published on September 23 in the journal NatureCommunications.
New cells discovered
Teeth develop through a complex process where different tissues bond together: soft tissue with connective tissue, which notably forms the dermis of the skin, nerves and blood vessels are bonded to three different types of hard tissue in a functional part of the body. To better understand this process, scientists are studying the mouse incisor, which continually grows and renews itself throughout the animal’s life. Many questions about the different dental cells, stem cells and cell dynamics still remain unanswered.
Thanks to a method of single-cell RNA sequencing, which allows the genetic analysis of a single cell, and genetic tracing, the researchers managed to understand the cellular organization of our teeth. “From stem cells to fully differentiated adult cells, we were able to decipher the differentiation pathways of odontoblasts, which give rise to dentin — the hard tissue closest to the pulp — and ameloblasts, which give rise to enamel, details Igor Adameyko, the last author of the study. We have also discovered new cell types and cell layers in teeth that may play a role in tooth sensitivity.”
Growing regenerative dentistry
These findings may also explain aspects of the immune system in teeth and shed new light on the formation of tooth enamel, the hardest tissue in our bodies. “We hope and believe that our work can form the basis for new approaches to tomorrow’s dentistry.advances the researcher. Specifically, it may accelerate the rapidly expanding field of regenerative dentistry, a biological therapy to replace damaged or lost tissue..” The researchers believe that they would prove to be a useful resource, not only for dental biologists, but also for researchers interested in developmental and regenerative biology in general.
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