London - Root canal surgery could be a thing of the past after scientists developed a revolutionary new filling.
The procedure uses synthetic materials that stimulate the stem cells in the tooth and encourage it to repair itself.
Dentists could no longer have to use toxic materials as fillings during the operation, which can last more than an hour and is often uncomfortable.
Researchers from the University of Nottingham and the University of Harvard say that their findings could provide an ‘effective and practical approach’ to allow patients to regenerate their own teeth.
Root canal work is normally carried out when bacteria has worked its way through a tooth’s dentin, the protective layer between the enamel and the inner pulp. A normal filling plugs the hole and does little more.
The new fillings are synthetic biomaterials that stimulate the stem cells in pulp tissue so they regenerate – and grow back the dentin.
Lead researcher Dr Adam Celiz, at the University of Nottingham, said that, like normal fillings, the biomaterials would be injected into the infected area in a liquid form. The dentist shines a UV light on them to make them harden.
He said the research was at the experimental stage but, apart from in cases of severe infection that would still require root canal surgery, the lab tests were very encouraging.
Current surgery involves using a rubber-like material to fill the root canal. The tooth is then filled with a material such as porcelain or another metal alloy. It saves the tooth but leaves it no longer connected to nerve endings or blood vessels, meaning that over time it might be lost.
Dr Celiz said: ‘Existing dental fillings are toxic to cells and are therefore incompatible with pulp tissue inside the tooth.
‘We have designed synthetic biomaterials that can be placed in direct contact with pulp tissue to stimulate the native stem cell population for repair and regeneration of pulp tissue and the surrounding dentin.’
His team’s work challenges the conventional wisdom that teeth damaged by cavities could not be saved – only filled.
Dr Celiz said the approach had shown ‘great promise’ and his team was now looking for additional funding to continue their research.
Daily Mail