Molars Reattached Using Stem Cell Treatment

Researchers working in the Brodie Laboratory for Craniofacial Genetics at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC), successfully extracted molars from mice, treated the teeth with stem cells and then reinserted them into the tooth sockets of rats. According to laboratory director Tom Diekwisch, the experiment marked the first time a functional tooth attached to a periodontal ligament that had been regenerated by the progenitor-cell based therapy.

A follow-up investigation led by Smit Dangaria, a bioengineering doctoral candidate at UIC, conducted reviews at two months and four months after the molars had been re-planted. Dangaria discovered new fibrous attachments had formed between the tooth and bone, and noted the replanted tooth had become firmly attached in the mouth of the test subject. Functional periodontal ligament fibers and new cementum were found surrounding the replanted molar. “Our research uncovered the code required to reattach teeth,” Dangaria stated. “It is a combination of natural tooth root surface structure together with periodontal progenitor cells.”