Tooth regeneration is a stem cell based regenerative medicine procedure in the field of tissue engineering and stem cell biology to replace damaged or lost teeth by regrowing them from autologous stem cells. [1]
As a source of the new bioengineered teeth, somatic stem cells are collected and reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem cells which can be placed in the dental lamina directly or placed in a reabsorbable biopolymer [2] in the shape of the new tooth. [3]
Young et al first demonstrated in 2002 that teeth could be regenerated from cells. [4]
The first clinical trial on tooth regeneration started in 2023 in Japan, for a medicine stimulating tooth regrowth by inhibition of USAG-1. [5] [6] [7]
In April 2025, researchers in the UK successfully grew human teeth in a lab, offering a potential alternative to dental implants and fillings. [8]
In 2025, researchers at King's College London led by Ana Angelova Volponi reported the laboratory generation of early tooth-like structures using a hydrogel scaffold designed to support interactions between odontogenic cells. The engineered matrix was shown to encourage the organization of developing tooth tissue precursors, suggesting a possible way toward biological tooth replacement. Researchers noted that the constructs do not yet replicate the full morphology or function of natural teeth in humans, and the approach remains at an experimental preclinical stage. However, the development was described as a meaningful advance in regenerative dentistry and tooth repair research. [9] [10] [11] Researchers note that significant challenges remain before lab-grown teeth can be used clinically in humans. The lab work aims to improve interactions between cells involved in tooth formation, but methods for reliably replacing embryonic model cells with adult human cells have not yet been known. Possible future approaches if the research succeeded in humans, include partially growing a tooth in vitro before implantation into the tooth socket to complete development, or fully growing a tooth in the laboratory prior to surgical implantation. Researchers emphasize that these applications remain experimental and are not yet ready for clinical use. [12]
The majority of stem cell studies have stopped at the stage of animal studies and have not proceeded to clinical trials due to numerous safety and ethical concerns. The potential risks of undesired tissue formation, tumourigenesis, and metastasis have not yet been resolved. [13]
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