New Hope for Decayed Teeth

From the ADA Morning huddle 3-28-2019:

Researchers To Test Whether “Minced Tooth Pulp” Can Regenerate Pulp, Dentine.

The Daily Mail (UK) (3/25, Dobson) reports on a new procedure on trial at the University of California that involves inserting “minced tooth pulp” into the root canal space of decayed teeth. According to the article, “It is hoped that the new procedure…will kick-start the growth of new pulp and dentine, strengthening the tooth and its roots.” The pulp will come from the patient’s decayed tooth or another one extracted from the patient, and it will then “be shredded into tiny pieces so it can be easily mixed with a sample of the patient’s blood that has been specially treated.” The next step is inserting the mixture “into the root canal space, which will first have been cleaned to remove residual bacteria.” The article notes that “the researchers are set to try out the technique on 50 patients, who will then be monitored for two years.”