Bioengineered Tooth

Bioengineered teeth created in a laboratory have become a reality within the field of dental science. Recent advances in dental tissue engineering have allowed dental researchers to create a tooth in a laboratory setting through the combination of scaffolding material with bioengineered cells. The scaffolding material is used to program the cells during the regeneration of a tooth—a process that requires the integration of multiple cells and the formation of blood vessels. The first step in the process is to isolate the desired type of stem cells. Recent advancements have made it possible to use stem cells from the patient's own body or donor tissue. Once the stem cells are isolated, they are placed on the scaffolding material and then cultured. During the culture process, the stem cells differentiate into components that are necessary for the formation of dentin, enamel, cementum, and pulp—all core components of a tooth. The next step of the process is to program the stem cells into their respective targets and use patterning techniques to further guide stem cell differentiation. Growth factors and biomolecules are used to replicate the natural environment that a tooth would experience within a patient's mouth. After the cellular targets are specified and organized into tissue constructs, they are placed in a bioreactor to replicate the in vivo environment. This method helps to accelerate and improve the strength of the bioengineered tooth. Finally, the bioengineered tooth is implanted where the natural tooth should be and the bioengineered tooth is integrated with the surrounding tissue by vascularization. This is a major advancement in dental tissue engineering and will ultimately lead to better tooth replacement and repair solutions. It is possible that bioengineered teeth may eventually be used to restore and replace missing or damaged teeth to improve patients' oral health.