Scientists develop gel to repair tooth enamel

A new gel that can help repair and regenerate tooth enamel could create “new possibilities” for treatment, scientists behind its development have said.

Working with other researchers, scientists from the University of Nottingham’s Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and School of Pharmacy claimed that the gel strengthens enamel and prevents tooth decay by utilising some of saliva’s qualities to restore the teeth’s hard, glossy layer.

The protein-based substance “works by mimicking key features” used to make enamel develop in infants, acting “as a scaffold” for calcium and phosphate ions in saliva.

Enamel, the hard, shiny layer on the surface of teeth, shields the sensitive inner layers from wear and tear, acids and bacteria. Though current treatments, such as fluoride varnishes, can relieve symptoms, enamel does not naturally regenerate.

Problems that can occur as a result of enamel decay include infections, increased sensitivity and tooth loss, which can be linked to more serious conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Prof Alvaro Mata, chair in biomedical engineering and biomaterials, who led the study published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, said the new gel can be easily and rapidly applied.

“We are very excited because the technology has been designed with the clinician and patient in mind. We hope to have a first product out next year, and this innovation could soon be helping patients worldwide,” he added.

Looking for a solution, Mata and his colleagues developed a gel containing a modified version of a protein that they manipulated to act like amelogenin, a protein that helps guide the growth of our enamel when we are infants.

In tests, the gel was applied under a microscope to human teeth in solutions containing calcium and phosphate, which are the main components of enamel. The results showed that the gel produces a strong, thin layer that remains on teeth for several weeks, even while cleaning.

The gel fills holes and cracks, creating a scaffold that uses the calcium and phosphate to promote the organised growth of new crystals in the enamel below the gel layer, even when so much was gone that the underlying dentine below was exposed.

In a remark, Paul Hatton, a professor of biomaterials science at Sheffield’s School of Clinical Dentistry and a member of the health and science committee of the British Dental Association, described the finding as an exciting breakthrough.

According to him, “Recreating natural enamel to repair teeth has been something of a ‘Holy Grail’ for dental materials scientists for many years.”