Fully Functional Bioengineered Mature Tooth Unit

Donor organ transplantation is currently an essential therapeutic approach to the replacement of a dysfunctional organ as a result of disease, injury or aging in vivo. Recent progress in the area of regenerative therapy has the potential to lead to bioengineered mature organ replacement in the future. A research group led by Professor Takashi Tsuji (Professor in the Research Institute for Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, and Director of Organ Technologies Inc.) has provided a proof-of-concept for bioengineered mature organ replacement as a future regenerative therapy.

The research group, M. Oshima et al., reports a further development in this regard in which a bioengineered tooth unit comprising mature tooth, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone, was successfully transplanted into a properly-sized bony hole in the alveolar bone through bone integration by recipient bone remodeling in a murine transplantation model system. The bioengineered tooth unit restored enough the alveolar bone in a vertical direction into an extensive bone defect of murine lower jaw. The engrafted bioengineered tooth displayed physiological tooth functions such as mastication, periodontal ligament function for bone remodeling and responsiveness to noxious stimulations. This study thus represents a substantial advance and demonstrates the real potential for bioengineered mature organ replacement as a next generation regenerative therapy.
Professor Tsuji is a research team member in "Health Labor Sciences Research Grant: Research on Regenerative Medicine for Clinical Application (Domain Leader: Professor Akira Yamaguchi of Tokyo Medical and Dental University)". This research was collaborated research with Professor Teruko Takano-Yamamoto (Division of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Graduate School of Dentistry, Tohoku University, Japan) and Professor Shohei Kasugai (Oral Implantology and Regenerative Dental Medicine Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan).

The Mystery Of Burning Mouth Syndrome

Most people can relate to the uncomfortable feeling that occurs after scalding their mouth on hot soup or coffee. It's a relief when that burnt feeling subsides after several days. But imagine experiencing that burning sensation all day, every day. The condition is called burning mouth syndrome (BMS), and damage to the nervous system during menopause may be to blame, according to an article published in the May/June 2011 issue of General Dentistry, the peer-reviewed clinical journal of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD).
BMS affects nearly 5 percent of Americans and causes a constant burning sensation, most commonly on the top of the tongue, lower lip, and roof of the mouth.

"The cause of BMS is currently unknown, but our findings support the theory that this is a neuropathic condition," says lead study author Gary D. Klasser, DMD. "For reasons unknown, it seems that the BMS patient's nerves are not sending and/or processing information correctl there's a short circuit in the nervous system and the brain can't turn off the pain receptors."
Although BMS can affect both sexes, the study confirms by a 7:1 ratio that women in their menopausal and post-menopausal years are more likely to be affected by BMS.
"For a small percentage of women, it is these hormonal changes that may alter taste and the way in which a person interprets pain," says Dr. Klasser. "The alterations may be enough to start the cascade of events that lead to BMS."
With no physical signs, it is very difficult for many health practitioners to recognize, diagnose, and manage BMS. As with most BMS sufferers, the patients in this study experienced oral burning symptoms for several years and visited multiple health practitioners prior to receiving a definitive diagnosis of BMS.
"Besides reporting oral burning, patients describe experiencing a dry, gritty feeling in the mouth, as well as alterations in taste," says AGD Spokesperson Eugene Antenucci, DDS, FAGD. "But because many health practitioners are not familiar with BMS and cannot see any physical symptoms, patients often leave the doctor's office frustrated and untreated."
Although no cure currently exists, health practitioners who have an understanding of the syndrome can help patients manage their symptoms.
"BMS is not a matter of life or death, but it is a matter of quality of life," says Dr. Antenucci. "Patients who believe they suffer from any of these symptoms should speak with their general dentist and seek out a health practitioner who has experience with this condition."
Medications, both topical and systemic, are available to treat BMS. Patients should consult their doctor to determine the medication that is best for them.

Some helpful ways for patients to alleviate the symptoms of BMS without taking medication are to drink water regularly to keep the mouth lubricated; avoid spicy, hot, acidic foods that can amplify symptoms; chew sugarless gum to increase saliva flow; and avoid tobacco and alcohol products that can cause irritation to the oral tissue.

Women's Fertility Linked To Oral Health

Women who want to have a baby should look after their oral health, a fertility expert told a meeting in Sweden yesterday. During the meeting, delegates heard about preliminary research that found for the first time, from when she starts trying to conceive, a woman's chances of falling pregnant can depend on how well she looks after her teeth and gums.
Roger Hart, a professor at the University of Western Australia in Perth, told the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Stockholm, that the effect of gum disease on conception is about the same order of magnitude as the effect of obesity.
Hart, who is Professor of Reproductive Medicine at the University and Medical Director of Fertility Specialists of Western Australia, said their study was the first to be published that investigates links between gum disease and women's chances of getting pregnant, so it is the:
"... first report to suggest that gum disease might be one of several factors that could be modified to improve the chances of a pregnancy."
He says women who want to become pregnant should visit their dentist and brush their teeth regularly.
For their research, Hart and colleagues analyzed data on over 3,400 pregnant women from Western Australia who were taking part in a study called SMILE that was investigating how treatment for gum disease affects pregnancy outcomes.
They found that women with gum disease took on average two months longer to conceive than women without gum disease (seven months instead of five).
Non-Caucasian women appeared to be the group most affected: they were likely to take more than 12 months to become pregnant if they had gum disease.
Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is where the gums and supporting tissue are chronically infected and inflamed.
Our mouths are full of bacteria, which stick to mucus and bits of food and form a sticky "plaque" on our teeth. Brushing and flossing gets rid of plaque, but if this is not done regularly, then the plaque goes hard and turns into "tartar", that is much harder to get rid of. You should then visit the dentist or hygienist to have it removed properly.
If you leave it too long before removing plaque and tartar, the bacteria causes an inflammation called "gingivitis", where the gums appear red and swollen, and bleed. At this stage, daily brushing and flossing and visits to the dentist can restore oral health. But eventually, if not attended to, the disease moves to a stage where tissue and bone are affected: this is periodontitis, which literally means "inflammation around the tooth".
In periodontitis the gums pull away from the teeth and little pockets develop that become infected. The bacteria and plaque starts to grow below the gum line, causing the immune system to respond. Toxins from the bacteria and immune system activity start to attack the tissue and bone that hold teeth in place, and they become loose.
But these destructive agents also get into the bloodstream, which may explain why gum disease is linked to increased risk of a number of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, respiratory and kidney disease, and also, miscarriage and premature birth.
About one in ten people is thought to have severe periodontal disease. The best way to prevent it is to brush and floss your teeth regularly.
Hart suggests the reason the non-Caucasian women were the most affected was because they appeared to have the highest level of inflammatory response when suffering from gum disease.
He also said that receiving treatment for gum disease while pregnant does not affect the health of the foetus or the mother.

New Method may Help Cut Healing Process for Dental Implants

Replacing the lost teeth with titanium dental implants could shorten the healing time for patients. "Increasing the active surface at nano level and changing the conductivity of the implant allows us to affect the body's own biomechanics and speed up the healing of the implant," says Johanna L'berg at the University of Gothenburg's Department of Chemistry. "This would reduce the discomfort for patients and makes for a better quality of life during the healing process."

Dental implants have been used to replace lost teeth for more than 40 years now. Per-Ingvar Br'nemark, who was recently awarded the prestigious European Inventor Award, was the first person to realise that titanium was very body-friendly and could be implanted into bone without being rejected. Titanium is covered with a thin layer of naturally formed oxide and it is this oxide's properties that determine how well an implant fuses with the bone.
It became clear at an early point that a rough surface was better than a smooth one, and the surface of today's implants is often characterised by different levels of roughness, from the thread to the superimposed nanostructures. Anchoring the implant in the bone exerts a mechanical influence on the bone tissue known as biomechanical stimulation, and this facilitates the formation of new bone. As the topography (roughness) of the surface is important for the formation of new bone, it is essential to be able to measure and describe the surface appearance in detail. But roughness is not the only property that affects healing.
Johanna L'berg has come up with a method that describes the implant's topography from micrometre to nanometre scale and allows theoretical estimations of anchoring in the bone by different surface topographies. The method can be used in the development of new dental implants to optimise the properties for increased bone formation and healing. She has also studied the oxide's conductivity, and the results show that a slightly higher conductivity results in a better cell response and earlier deposition of minerals that are important for bone formation.
The results are in line with animal studies and clinical trials of the commercial implant OsseoSpeed (Astra Tech AB), which show a slightly higher conductivity for the oxide and also an exchange between hydroxide and fluoride on the surface of the oxide. Surfaces with a well-defined nanostructure have a larger active area and respond quickly to the deposition of bone-forming minerals.
The project is a collaboration between the University of Gothenburg and Astra Tech AB in M'lndal, and will be further evaluated in follow-up studies.