THE tooth fairy may soon have a new line of business. U.S. doctors say they have managed to grow living pig teeth in rats, a feat of biotechnology that experts said could spark a dental revolution.

　　Researchers at Boston’s Forsyth Institute said Friday their successful experiment suggests the existence of dental stem cells, which could one day allow a person to replace a lost tooth with an identical one grown from his or her own cells.

　　“The ability to identify, isolate and propagate dental stem cells to use in biological replacement tooth therapy has the potential to revolutionize dentistry,” said Dominick DePaola, president and CEO of the institute that focuses on oral and facial science.

　　The experiment involved taking cells from immature teeth of 6-month-old pigs, treating them with enzymes and then placing the cell clusters on biodegradable “scaffolds” — tiny bits of polymer designed to act like a mould for the forming tissue.

　　The researchers implanted the scaffolds into the abdomens of rats and within 30 weeks small recognizable tooth crowns — containing enamel and dentin, a bone-like material found under the enamel — had formed.

　　The researchers said they hope that within five years they will have developed techniques to grow teeth of a specific size and shape, and that within 10 years it will be possible to regenerate human teeth.

　　Louis Terracio, associate dean of research at New York University’s College of Dentistry, said the research signals that the days of synthetic dental implants — dentures, bridges and crowns — are numbered.

　　“Right now they do wonderful things with implants,” Terracio said after reading the Forsyth research. “Implants work pretty well but it’s not a natural tooth.”

　　(SD-Agencies)