Gene Therapy
By Dr. Linda Niessen
Monday, April 01, 2002
Gene therapy could help grow, repair teeth Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a way to actually make dentin. That's the part of the tooth just under the enamel.
UIC researcher Dr. Anne George helped discover the gene that causes mineralization in the body. Mineralization plays a critical role in bone and teeth formation. Through years of experiments, Dr. George and her team developed a way to get the gene to make dentin.
"Instead of root canal therapy, you could use this protein to make new dentin," Dr. George says.
Gene therapy could replace the need to fill teeth once they decay.
"It could start the process of mineralization and calcify that area where the cavity was so you don't need a filling," Dr. George says.
At a scientific dental conference held recently in Dallas, dentists talked about the future of gene therapy to make both teeth and jaw bone. Houston dentist Dr. Michael McGuire is a leader in clinical research.
"My personal feeling is that none of us will be using any passive devices, be it membranes, implants," says Dr. McGuire. "All the devices will be bioactive, and it's likely tissue engineering will play a major role in this."
In the future, scientists hope to move their research out of the laboratory into a dental office near you.
04/01/2002
By Dr. LINDA NIESSEN / Special Contributor to WFAA-TV News
![[Image]](../Images/dentin.jpg)
What if you could grow a new tooth when the old one develops decay? Sound far fetched? It may not be.
And Samuel's reaction. "I think it will be good."
"Seemed pretty simple, right there like in front of us all this time," says Samuel's mom, Ava Reynolds
Implant technology of this kind is a well kept secret. Many patients can benefit from it. And it's the next best thing to being real.
Dr. Linda Niessen, clinical professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and the Office of Communications and Development at Baylor College of Dentistry, hosts Dental Health Check, the only weekly dental feature shot on location in the nation.
