The world's first human trial of a drug that can regenerate teeth will begin in a few months, following news of its success in animals.
This paves the way for the drug to be commercially available as early as 2030.
The trial, which will take place at Kyoto University Hospital between September and August 2025, will attempt to treat 30 men aged 30-64 who are missing at least one molar.
After the intravenous treatment successfully produced new teeth in ferret and mouse models without any major side effects, its effectiveness on human teeth will be tested.
Researcher Katsu Takahashi, Head of the Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery at Kitano Hospital, said: "We want to do something to help those suffering from tooth loss or absence. Although to date there is no treatment that provides a permanent cure, we know that people have high expectations for tooth growth."
After this initial 11-month phase, the researchers will try the drug on patients aged 2-7 years who are missing at least four teeth due to congenital tooth deficiency, which is estimated to affect 1 percent of people.
The researchers will then expand the trial to include people with partial edentulism or missing 1 to 5 permanent teeth due to environmental factors.
