Scientists have developed a gel that could regrow lost tooth enamel, potentially overcoming one of the biggest limitations in dental care. The innovation, from researchers at the University of Nottingham and published in Nature Communications, could allow dentists to repair damage once considered permanent.
Tooth enamel, unlike bone and other tissues, cannot naturally regenerate once lost. The new treatment could offer a way to rebuild this protective layer, strengthen teeth and help prevent future decay.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham's School of Pharmacy and Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering created a material inspired by the biological processes that form enamel during early childhood. It is designed to repair enamel weakened by mineral loss or worn away by erosion, while also reinforcing healthy enamel.
The gel can be applied directly to teeth using a procedure similar to existing fluoride treatments, making it potentially easy to incorporate into routine dental care. Unlike conventional fluoride products, it contains no fluoride, instead using a protein-based material that imitates the natural proteins responsible for guiding enamel formation when teeth first develop.
Once applied, the gel forms a thin, durable coating that penetrates the tooth's surface and fills microscopic cracks and gaps. It attracts calcium and phosphate ions, two essential minerals naturally present in saliva, and helps organise them into new crystals that grow in an orderly pattern, a process called epitaxial mineralisation. This allows the newly formed material to become structurally integrated with the original tooth surface.
The researchers also found the material can be used on exposed dentine, the softer layer beneath enamel, to form an enamel-like mineral layer that could reduce tooth sensitivity and could improve the attachment of fillings and other restorations.
The team tested the mechanical strength and durability of the regenerated material under conditions simulating daily use, including brushing, chewing and contact with acidic foods. According to the researchers, the regenerated enamel displayed mechanical properties comparable to healthy natural enamel.
Dr Abshar Hasan, a postdoctoral fellow and the study's lead author, said: "When our material is applied to demineralized or eroded enamel, or exposed dentine, the material promotes the growth of crystals in an integrated and organized manner, recovering the architecture of our natural healthy enamel. We have tested the mechanical properties of these regenerated tissues under conditions simulating 'real-life situations' ... and found that the regenerated enamel behaves just like healthy enamel."
The researchers have begun working toward commercialisation through their start-up company Mintech-Bio. Professor Alvaro Mata, who led the study, said: "We are very excited because the technology has been designed with the clinician and patient in mind. It is safe, can be easily and rapidly applied, and it is scalable. Also, the technology is versatile ... We have started this process with our start-up company Mintech-Bio and hope to have a first product out by next year; this innovation could soon be helping patients worldwide."
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Enamel deterioration is a major factor in tooth decay, affecting nearly half of the world's population and contributing to broader health problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
- Current treatments can protect teeth and repair early mineral loss but cannot reconstruct enamel that has already been lost; this gel aims to overcome that limitation.
- If successful in patients, the technology could fundamentally change how dentists address enamel loss and tooth sensitivity.
Background
Tooth enamel is the hardest tissue in the human body, but it has no living cells capable of rebuilding it after teeth have fully developed. Although saliva can replace some minerals lost during the earliest stages of damage, the body cannot regenerate substantial enamel that has been worn away. Existing treatments, including fluoride varnishes and remineralisation products, help protect teeth but cannot fully reconstruct lost enamel.
What to Watch
- Clinical validation: the laboratory results need to be confirmed in human trials before the gel becomes an established dental treatment.
- Commercial timeline: Mintech-Bio aims to introduce a first product by next year; watch for regulatory approvals and product announcements.
- Integration into dental practice: how easily the gel can be incorporated into routine care, and whether it proves safe and effective for patients of all ages.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe headline says scientists developed a gel that could regrow tooth enamel.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Scientists have developed a new gel that could make it possible to regrow damaged tooth enamel”
- SupportedThe summary says University of Nottingham researchers created a material that mimics natural enamel formation.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “The innovation comes from researchers at the University of Nottingham's School of Pharmacy and Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering. Their new material is inspired by the biological processes that form tooth enamel during early childhood.”
- SupportedThe gel could overcome one of the biggest limitations in dental care.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Scientists have developed a new gel that could make it possible to regrow damaged tooth enamel, potentially overcoming one of the biggest limitations in dental care.”
- SupportedThe findings were published in Nature Communications, and the material could let dentists repair damage once considered permanent.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “The findings, published in Nature Communications , could pave the way for a new generation of dental treatments that go beyond protecting existing enamel and actually help restore its structure.”
- SupportedThe material is designed to repair enamel weakened by mineral loss or erosion and reinforce healthy enamel.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “It is designed to repair enamel that has been weakened by mineral loss or worn away by erosion, while also reinforcing enamel that remains healthy.”
- SupportedThe gel contains no fluoride and instead uses a protein-based material that imitates characteristics of proteins guiding enamel formation.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Unlike conventional fluoride products, however, the new gel contains no fluoride. Instead, it uses a material made from proteins that imitates important characteristics of the natural proteins responsible for guiding enamel formation”
- SupportedDentists could apply the gel in a procedure similar to existing fluoride treatments, potentially making it easy to add to routine care.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “Dentists could apply the gel directly to teeth using a procedure similar to existing fluoride treatments, making it potentially easy to incorporate into routine dental care.”
- SupportedThe gel attracts calcium and phosphate ions and helps organise them into crystals that grow in an orderly pattern, a process called epitaxial mineralisation.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “The gel attracts these minerals and helps organize them into new crystals that grow in an orderly pattern. Scientists call this process epitaxial mineralization.”
- SupportedThe material can be used on exposed dentine to form an enamel-like layer that could reduce sensitivity and improve the attachment of restorations.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “The new gel can encourage the formation of an enamel-like mineral layer over exposed dentin. This could help reduce tooth sensitivity while also improving the attachment of dental restorations”
- SupportedThe researchers tested the regenerated material under conditions simulating daily use, and researchers said its mechanical properties were comparable to healthy natural enamel.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “According to the researchers, the regenerated enamel displayed mechanical properties comparable to those of healthy natural enamel”
- SupportedHasan's quoted statement that the material promotes integrated, organised crystal growth and recovers natural enamel architecture matches the source.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “When our material is applied to demineralized or eroded enamel, or exposed dentine, the material promotes the growth of crystals in an integrated and organized manner, recovering the architecture of our natural healthy enamel.”
- SupportedMata said the team had started the process through Mintech-Bio and hoped to have a first product out by next year.Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily: “We have started this process with our start-up company Mintech-Bio and hope to have a first product out by next year; this innovation could soon be helping patients worldwide.”