Study shows the immune system and stem cells join forces to repair your teeth

Researchers from King’s College London have revealed how the immune system interacts with stem cells during tooth repair.

Caries permanently damages the hard, mineral surface of teeth. Once it reaches the inner soft tissue of the tooth, the tooth becomes infected and further issues arise. Stem cells are present in the pulp and are stimulated by damage to differentiate into specialised cells (odontoblasts) that act to replace lost mineral and repair the tooth.

Building on previous research into tooth repair, in a paper published in Scientific Reports, researchers from King’s College London have revealed how macrophages, specialised cells of the immune system, and stem cells interact following tooth damage to promote repair.

The research was carried out in the Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology at the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, by researchers Vitor Neves and Val Yianni, both senior members of the Sharpe Research Group. They found that macrophages are required for pulp stem cell activation and appropriate reparative dentine formation.