Strategies underlying research in tooth regenerative therapy as a possible model for future organ replacement

Abstract

The ultimate goal of regenerative therapy is to develop fully functioning bioengineered organs that can replace lost or damaged organs after disease, injury, or aging. We have previously developed a three-dimensional culture system with the aim of reconstituting a bioengineered organ germ at an early developmental stage. The regeneration of a functional tooth unit is critical issue to achieving proper oral function, including mastication. Recently, we successfully demonstrated that our bioengineered tooth germ could develop a fully functioning tooth with sufficient hardness for masticatory potential, the ability to withstand mechanical stress in the maxillofacial region, and in which the innerved neural fibers had an adequate perceptive potential for noxious stimulations. Our results thus show that bioengineered tooth germ can develop a fully functioning regenerated tooth in vivo after engraftment and therefore that organ replacement regenerative therapy in this way is feasible.