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posted by martyb on Thursday January 12 2017, @06:31PM   Printer-friendly
from the something-to-chew-on dept.

King's College London researchers have found a method of stimulating the stem cells inside of teeth in order to generate new dentine mineral, potentially reducing the need to use man-made materials to treat cavities:

A new method of stimulating the renewal of living stem cells in tooth pulp using an Alzheimer's drug has been discovered by a team of researchers at King's College London. Following trauma or an infection, the inner, soft pulp of a tooth can become exposed and infected. In order to protect the tooth from infection, a thin band of dentine is naturally produced and this seals the tooth pulp, but it is insufficient to effectively repair large cavities. Currently dentists use man-made cements or fillings, such as calcium and silicon-based products, to treat these larger cavities and fill holes in teeth. This cement remains in the tooth and fails to disintegrate, meaning that the normal mineral level of the tooth is never completely restored.

However, in a paper published today in Scientific Reports, scientists from the Dental Institute at King's College London have proven a way to stimulate the stem cells contained in the pulp of the tooth and generate new dentine – the mineralised material that protects the tooth - in large cavities, potentially reducing the need for fillings or cements.

Promotion of natural tooth repair by small molecule GSK3 antagonists (open, DOI: 10.1038/srep39654) (DX)


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 12 2017, @07:03PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 12 2017, @07:03PM (#453015)

    Wasn't there a recent film about an immortal survivor of Pompeii who stays alive by becoming pregnant every 20 years and absorbing the stem cells of her unborn children?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_(2014_film) [wikipedia.org]

    Nope, can't mention that, 2014 was too recent for SN old people.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan%27s_Run_(film) [wikipedia.org]

    Ahhhhh, 1976. Much better.

  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday January 12 2017, @07:43PM

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Thursday January 12 2017, @07:43PM (#453032) Journal

    Nope, can't mention that, 2014 was too recent for SN old people.

    Speaking of old, your schtick is very stale.

    --
    [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 12 2017, @08:02PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 12 2017, @08:02PM (#453037)

      You mean my shtick isn't stale enough to appeal to geezers who remember the gay old days when George Carlin was alive.

  • (Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Thursday January 12 2017, @10:38PM

    by Grishnakh (2831) on Thursday January 12 2017, @10:38PM (#453100)

    Thanks for the link to that Wikipedia page for the Spring movie; now I don't have to watch it! Honestly, it sounds like an interesting premise but not well thought-out, and with a lame plot. She loses her immortality if she falls in love? Seriously? And she's 2000 years old? How exactly does she know this rather critical fact about her biology then, if she hasn't experienced it yet? Did some aliens tell her? And she's never fallen in love in 2000 years, but suddenly she spends the night chit-chatting with some dude and does, ending her 2-millenia streak of immortality? And then some volcano goes off near them to end the movie? Holy crap this sounds like a terrible plot.

    I think I'd rather watch Logan's Run. At least it was fun to watch with all its 70s campiness.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 13 2017, @01:28AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 13 2017, @01:28AM (#453142)

      Unfamiliar new thing, bad.

      Familiar old thing, good.

      Prejudice as predicted, confirmed.