Researchers One Step Closer to Generating Artificial Enamel Without Dentin

Researchers One Step Closer to Generating Artificial Enamel Without Dentin

Dentin, one of the four major components of tooth structure, may not be necessary for the formation of enamel, according to a study led by Yang Chai, DDS, PhD—a distinguished researcher and director of the Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology at the University of Southern California Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry in Los Angeles. The study’s findings challenge long-held beliefs about tooth development and the role dentin proteins play in enamel formation.   

 

Chai’s team explored what happened to mice when the gene for the SMAD4 protein (which signals control of TGF-beta and BMP cell pathways during tooth morphogenesis) was idled. In the absence of the SMAD4 protein, problems arose with the formation of dentin and odontoblasts, the cells that grow bone tissue. In their place grew small bony structures, while—much to the team’s surprise—the hard outer coating of enamel remained healthy, the study reports.    

 

“This discovery has important clinical implications,” states Chai. “For example, we can generate artificial enamel for restorative purposes in the future that does not require dentin matrix as a substrate. Instead, we can use readily available bone matrix to support enamel formation.”