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DENTAL STEM CELLS ABLE TO FORM DENTIN, RESEARCHERS REPORT
NEWS
DENTAL STEM CELLS ABLE TO FORM DENTIN, RESEARCHERS REPORT
A
low-powered laser can be used to trigger human dental stem cells to form dentin, say researchers in a study published in the May 28 issue of Science Translational Medicine. A team led by David Mooney, PhD, core faculty member, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard, Boston, not only used a low-powered laser to trigger stem cells but also outlined the molecular mechanism involved and demonstrated its capability in multiple laboratory and animal tests. Lead author Dr. Praveen Arany— who is now an assistant clinical investigator, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., and was a graduate student and then postdoctoral fellow affiliated with Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Mass., and the Wyss Institute when the study was conducted—drilled holes in the molars of rodents, treated the tooth pulp that contained adult dental stem cells with low-dose laser treatments and placed temporary crowns. After about 12 weeks, highresolution radiographic imaging and microscopy confirmed that the laser treatments triggered enhanced dentin formation. The research team then performed a series of experiments to unveil the molecular mechanism responsible for the regenerative effects of the laser treatment. They found that transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-ß1) played a key role in triggering the dental stem cells to grow into dentin. They also found that, in a dose-dependent manner, the laser first induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are chemically active molecules containing oxygen that play an important role in cellular function. The ROS activated the latent TGF-ß1 complex,
which, in turn, differentiated the stem cells into dentin. “Our treatment modality does not introduce anything new to the body, and lasers are routinely used in medicine and dentistry, so the barriers to clinical translation are low,” said Dr. Mooney, who also is the Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “It would be a substantial advance in the field if we can regenerate teeth rather than replace them.” The study was funded by the Wyss Institute, Harvard Presidential Scholarship, Harvard Catalyst, Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center, National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research and the National Institutes of Health. Q CORRECTION
The article “The Prevalence of Caries and Tooth Loss Among Participants in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos” in the June issue of JADA (Beck JD, Youngblood M Jr, Atkinson JC, et al. JADA 2014;145(6):531-540) contained an error. On page 533, in the subsection “Dental Examiners and Calibration,” article coauthor Karen Becerra, DDS, was identified as the standard examiner who trained and calibrated the technique of the examiners. However, this activity was performed by Marguerite Laccabue, MPH, DDS, who now is a private practitioner in Houston. Compiled by Amy E. Lund, senior editor.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS ADA—AMERICA’S DENTAL MEETING
2014 Oct. 9-14, San Antonio 2015 Nov. 5-10, Washington 2016 Oct. 20-25, Denver
JADA 145(7) Copyright © 2014 American Dental Association. All Rights Reserved.
http://jada.ada.org
July 2014
703
DENTAL STEM CELLS ABLE TO FORM DENTIN, RESEARCHERS REPORT
A
low-powered laser can be used to trigger human dental stem cells to form dentin, say researchers in a study published in the May 28 issue of Science Translational Medicine. A team led by David Mooney, PhD, core faculty member, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard, Boston, not only used a low-powered laser to trigger stem cells but also outlined the molecular mechanism involved and demonstrated its capability in multiple laboratory and animal tests. Lead author Dr. Praveen Arany— who is now an assistant clinical investigator, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., and was a graduate student and then postdoctoral fellow affiliated with Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Mass., and the Wyss Institute when the study was conducted—drilled holes in the molars of rodents, treated the tooth pulp that contained adult dental stem cells with low-dose laser treatments and placed temporary crowns. After about 12 weeks, highresolution radiographic imaging and microscopy confirmed that the laser treatments triggered enhanced dentin formation. The research team then performed a series of experiments to unveil the molecular mechanism responsible for the regenerative effects of the laser treatment. They found that transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-ß1) played a key role in triggering the dental stem cells to grow into dentin. They also found that, in a dose-dependent manner, the laser first induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are chemically active molecules containing oxygen that play an important role in cellular function. The ROS activated the latent TGF-ß1 complex,
which, in turn, differentiated the stem cells into dentin. “Our treatment modality does not introduce anything new to the body, and lasers are routinely used in medicine and dentistry, so the barriers to clinical translation are low,” said Dr. Mooney, who also is the Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “It would be a substantial advance in the field if we can regenerate teeth rather than replace them.” The study was funded by the Wyss Institute, Harvard Presidential Scholarship, Harvard Catalyst, Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center, National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research and the National Institutes of Health. Q CORRECTION
The article “The Prevalence of Caries and Tooth Loss Among Participants in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos” in the June issue of JADA (Beck JD, Youngblood M Jr, Atkinson JC, et al. JADA 2014;145(6):531-540) contained an error. On page 533, in the subsection “Dental Examiners and Calibration,” article coauthor Karen Becerra, DDS, was identified as the standard examiner who trained and calibrated the technique of the examiners. However, this activity was performed by Marguerite Laccabue, MPH, DDS, who now is a private practitioner in Houston. Compiled by Amy E. Lund, senior editor.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS ADA—AMERICA’S DENTAL MEETING
2014 Oct. 9-14, San Antonio 2015 Nov. 5-10, Washington 2016 Oct. 20-25, Denver
JADA 145(7) Copyright © 2014 American Dental Association. All Rights Reserved.
http://jada.ada.org
July 2014
703