A bit of pressure from a new shrinking, sponge-like gel is all it takes to turn transplanted unspecialized cells into cells that lay down minerals and begin to form teeth.

The bioinspired gel material could one day help repair or replace damaged organs, such as teeth and bone, and possibly other organs as well, scientists from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and Boston Children's Hospital report recently in Advanced Materials.

"Tissue engineers have long raised the idea of using synthetic materials to mimic the inductive power of the embryo," said Don Ingber, MD, PhD, Founding Director of the Wyss Institute, Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Bioengineering at SEAS, and senior author of the study. "We're excited about this work because it shows that it really is possible."

Embryonic tissues have the power to drive cells and tissues to specialize and form organs. To do that, they employ biomolecules called growth factors to stimulate growth; gene-activating chemicals that cause the cells to specialize, and mechanical forces that modulate cell responses to these other factors.

But so far tissue engineers who want to build organs in the laboratory have employed only two of the three strategies – growth factors and gene-activating chemicals. Perhaps as a result, they have not yet succeeded in producing complex three-dimensional tissues.

A few years ago, Ingber and Tadanori Mammoto, MD, PhD, Instructor in Surgery at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, investigated a process called mesenchymal condensation that embryos use to begin forming a variety of organs, including teeth, cartilage, bone, muscle, tendon, and kidney.

In mesenchymal condensation, two adjacent tissue layers -- loosely packed connective-tissue cells called mesenchyme and sheet-like tissue called an epithelium that covers it -- exchange biochemical signals. This exchange causes the mesenchymal cells to squeeze themselves tightly into a small knot directly below where the new organ will form.

By examining tissues isolated from the jaws of embryonic mice, Mammoto and Ingber showed that when the compressed mesenchymal cells turn on genes that stimulate them to generate whole teeth composed of mineralized tissues, including dentin and enamel.

Inspired by this embryonic induction mechanism, Ingber and Basma Hashmi, a PhD candidate at SEAS who is the lead author of the current paper, set out to develop a way to engineer artificial teeth by creating a tissue-friendly material that accomplishes the same goal. Specifically, they wanted a porous sponge-like gel that could be impregnated with mesenchymal cells, then, when implanted into the body, induced to shrink in 3D to physically compact the cells inside it.

To develop such a material, Ingber and Hashmi teamed up with researchers led by Joanna Aizenberg, PhD, a Wyss Institute Core Faculty member who leads the Institute's Adaptive Materials Technologies platform. Aizenberg is the Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science at SEAS and Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University.

They chemically modified a special gel-forming polymer called PNIPAAm that scientists have used to deliver drugs to the body's tissues. PNIPAAm gels have an unusual property: they contract abruptly when they warm.

But they do this at a lukewarm temperature, whereas the researchers wanted them to shrink specifically at 37°C – body temperature – so that they'd squeeze their contents as soon as they were injected into the body. Hashmi worked with Lauren Zarzar, PhD, a former SEAS graduate student who's now a postdoctoral associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for more than a year, modifying PNIPAAm and testing the resulting materials. Ultimately, they developed a polymer that forms a tissue-friendly gel with two key properties: cells stick to it, and it compresses abruptly when warmed to body temperature.

As an initial test, Hashmi implanted mesenchymal cells in the gel and warmed it in the lab. Sure enough, when the temperature reached 37°C, the gel shrank within 15 minutes, causing the cells inside the gel to round up, shrink, and pack tightly together.

"The reason that's cool is that the cells are alive," Hashmi said. "Usually when this happens, cells are dead or dying."

Not only were they alive -- they activated three genes that drive tooth formation.

To see if the shrinking gel also worked its magic in the body, Hashmi worked with Mammoto to load mesenchymal cells into the gel, then implant the gel beneath the mouse kidney capsule -- a tissue that is well supplied with blood and often used for transplantation experiments.

The implanted cells not only expressed tooth-development genes -- they laid down calcium and minerals, just as mesenchymal cells do in the body as they begin to form teeth.

"They were in full-throttle tooth-development mode," Hashmi said.

In the embryo, mesenchymal cells can't build teeth alone -- they need to be combined with cells that form the epithelium. In the future, the scientists plan to test whether the shrinking gel can stimulate both tissues to generate an entire functional tooth.

The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Wyss Institute. In addition to Hashmi, Mammoto, Ingber, Aizenberg and Zarzar, the research team also included Akiko Mammoto, Ph.D., Instructor in Surgery at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Amanda Jiang, a technician at Boston Children's Hospital.

Source: Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued draft guidelines calling for a reduction of daily sugar intake to 5% of total daily calories in order to tackle public health problems, such as obesity and tooth decay, according to Medical News Today.

The WHO says there is concern that consumption of free sugars—those defined as sugars that are added to foods by manufacturers, such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose, and sugars that are naturally present in fruit juices, fruit concentrates, syrups, and honey—may cause people to eat fewer foods that contain "nutritionally adequate calories" and increase total daily calorie intake.

To read the full article, click here.

A visit to the dentist could one day require a detailed look at how genes in a patient's body are being switched on or off, as well as examining their pearly whites, according to researchers at the University of Adelaide.

In a new paper published in the Australian Dental Journal, researchers from the University of Adelaide's School of Dentistry have written about the current and future use of the field of epigenetics as it relates to oral health.

Speaking on Dentist's Day (Thursday, March 6), co-author Associate Professor Toby Hughes says epigenetics has much to offer in the future treatment and prevention of dental disease.

"Our genetic code, or DNA, is like an orchestra - it contains all of the elements we need to function - but the epigenetic code is essentially the conductor, telling which instruments to play or stay silent, or how to respond at any given moment," Associate Professor Hughes says.

"This is important because, in the case of oral health, epigenetic factors may help to orchestrate healthy and unhealthy states in our mouths. They respond to the current local environment, such as the type and level of our oral microbes, regulating which of our genes are active. This means we could use them to determine an individual's state of health, or even influence how their genes behave. We can't change the underlying genetic code, but we may be able to change when genes are switched on and off," he says.

Associate Professor Hughes is part of a team of researchers at the University of Adelaide that has been studying the underlying genetic and environmental influences on dental development and oral health.

He says that since the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2007, epigenetics has had an increasing role in biological and medical research.

"Dentistry can also greatly benefit from new research in this area," he says. "It could open up a range of opportunities for diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

"We know that our genome plays a key role in our dental development, and in a range of oral diseases; we know that the oral microbiota also play a key role in the state of our oral health; we now have the potential to develop an epigenetic profile of a patient, and use all three of these factors to provide a more personalized level of care.

"Other potential oral health targets for the study of epigenetics include the inflammation and immune responses that lead to periodontitis, which can cause tooth loss; and the development and progression of oral cancers.

"What's most exciting is the possibility of screening for many of these potential oral health problems from an early age so that we can prevent them or reduce their impact."

Source: EurekaAlert!

LOS ANGELES, March 7, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- C3 Jian, Inc., a private company focused on providing improved oral healthcare, announced today that the first Phase 2 Clinical Trial for its novel drug, C16G2, has begun under its U.S. Food and Drug Administration Investigational New Drug (IND) application. The Company's drug targets the specific elimination of Streptococcus mutans, the bacterium believed to be a critical factor in the cause of dental caries or tooth decay. C3 Jian expects this Phase 2 study to be completed in late 2014.

C16G2 is a synthetic peptide derived from C3 Jian's proprietary, pheromone signaling platform technology referred to as STAMPs (Specifically Targeted Antimicrobial Peptides). C16G2 selectively targets Streptococcus mutans, a cavity-causing organism. C3 Jian's STAMP technology has the ability to identify peptide sequences that specifically target most types of bacteria.

The clinical protocol is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, four arm, safety and microbiology study in healthy adult subjects. The primary objective of the Phase 2 Clinical Trial is to further build on the safety profile of C16G2 administration in both dental gel and mouth rinse dosages. The study will also focus on targeting antimicrobial activity of these applications by measuring the reduction of Streptococcus mutans, as well as the total bacteria in dental plaque and saliva. With proper safety, the Company expects to extend the Phase 2 program to assess C16G2 in children.

"The advancement of the Phase 2 clinical program for C16G2 is a testament to our development team's talent and the potential of the STAMP technology platform," said Todd R. Patrick, C3 Jian's President and CEO.

The indication targeted for C16G2 is the prevention of dental caries in adults, adolescents and pediatrics. Dental caries, commonly known as tooth decay or cavities, is rated the most common chronic childhood disease according to the U.S. Surgeon General. In the U.S. alone, over $100 billion is spent annually on oral health expenditures. A majority of these expenses is directly related to dental caries.

Beer drinkers know that hops are what gives the drink its bitterness and aroma. Recently, scientists reported that the part of hops that isn't used for making beer contains healthful antioxidants and could be used to battle cavities and gum disease. In a new study in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, they say that they've identified some of the substances that could be responsible for these healthful effects.

Yoshihisa Tanaka and colleagues note that their earlier research found that antioxidant polyphenols, contained in the hop leaves (called bracts) could help fight cavities and gum disease. Extracts from bracts stopped the bacteria responsible for these dental conditions from being able to stick to surfaces and prevented the release of some bacterial toxins. Every year, farmers harvest about 2,300 tons of hops in the United States, but the bracts are not used for making beer and are discarded. Thus, there is potentially a large amount of bracts that could be repurposed for dental applications. But very few of the potentially hundreds of compounds in the bracts have been reported. Tanaka's group decided to investigate what substances in these leaves might cause those healthful effects.

Using a laboratory technique called chromatography, they found three new compounds, one already-known compound that was identified for the first time in plants and 20 already-known compounds that were found for the first time in hops. The bracts also contained substantial amounts of proanthocyanidins, which are healthful antioxidants.

Chicago, IL – March 5, 2014 — The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) will host its annual Spring Conference with the 2014 theme, “The Perio-Restorative Partnership: A Roadmap to Success,” at the Hilton Chicago April 26-April 27, 2014. Attendee registration is open, and all members of the dental team are encouraged to register to learn about the latest advancements and techniques in collaborative care while networking with peers.

According to AAP President Stuart J. Froum, DDS, attending the 2014 Spring Conference brings value to all dental professionals. “The Academy has secured leading experts in the field to provide nearly 10 hours of real-world, relevant clinical information to help us work together more efficiently and make our practices more successful,” said Dr. Froum. 

The 2-day educational and interactive conference covers a variety of topics that promote professional growth and guide clinicians in providing the best possible periodontal care while also giving attendees the opportunity to earn continuing education (CE) credits.

Lecture topics include:

- Periodontal and Implant Therapy

- Periodontitis Risk-Assessment

- Perio-Systemic Relationships

- Predictable Esthetic Results

- Techniques for Implant-Supported Restorations

“This year’s Spring Conference, encouraging the practice of collaborative care, offers a unique experience for many dental professionals to team-up in an educational and social setting that enables clinicians to engage in new, exciting ways,” says Froum. “The best in periodontal education combined with the diverse sights and sounds of Chicago make this a must-attend event!”

The American Academy of Periodontology would like to thank Henry Schein for their generous support of the 2014 Spring Conference.

To register or for more information visit: https://www.perio.org/meetings/sc14.htm, call 800-282-4867 x3213, or email meetings@perio.org. 

The American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) has filed suit in Federal District Court in Austin, Texas challenging the constitutionality of a regulation promulgated by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners that limits dentists from advertising to the public as “specialists.”


The regulation delegates the authority to determine “specialties” and which dentists can call themselves “specialists” to the American Dental Association, a private trade association over which the Texas Board of Dental Examiners has no control. Specialty recognition is entirely determined within the ADA through a political process carried out by competitor dentists, with no opportunity for review or appeal by any licensed dentist in Texas. The regulation, Texas Administrative Code Sec. 108.54, is available online here.

The AAID was joined by three other organizations that issue bona fide credentials and certifications in various areas of dentistry, such as implant dentistry, dental anesthesia, orofacial pain, and oral medicine. The plaintiff organizations are the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists, the American Academy of Oral Medicine, and the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. Five individual Texas licensed dentists are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit.


“This law violates several constitutional guarantees to Texas dentists, including the right to due process, equal protection under the law and the right to free speech. This regulation is similar to a Florida state statute that also deferred specialty recognition to the ADA, which was declared unconstitutional in 2009 (see DuCoin v Viamonte Ros),” according to Frank Recker, DDS, JD, attorney for the AAID.


Nobel Biocare has introduced its latest innovations in tissue regeneration and treatment planning at the 29^th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Osseointegration in Seattle, Washington, March 6-8.

“Nobel Biocare’s regenerative solutions range is expanding to offer allograft options for a wide range of indications,” said Richard Laube, Nobel Biocare CEO. “From sinus floor elevation to socket preservation, ridge augmentation to periodontal defects, the new creos allograft portfolio gives clinicians the options they need to treat more patients better.”

In Nobel Biocare, new creos^™ allograft bone regenerative solutions are now available from one trusted source. The new creos allograft portfolio brings together a full selection of regenerative solutions in three core products: particulate bone graft, demineralized bone matrix (dbm) putty, and a barrier membrane. The allograft portfolio is now available in the United States, while the previously launched creos xenograft portfolio, beginning with the creos xeno.protect collagen membrane, is primarily available in Europe in addition to South Africa and Hong Kong.

The creos allo.gain range gives clinicians the flexibility to choose the optimum solution depending on patient indication and personal preference with five different types of particulate bone graft. Choices include corticocancellous, cancellous, cortical and demineralized cortical bone types as well as a pre-prepared blend of mineralized and demineralized cortical particulate. Also included is a demineralized bone matrix (dbm) putty which comes in a convenient dispenser and is moldable for smooth adaptation to defects.

The new creos allo.protect resorbable pericardium membrane serves as an effective and reliable barrier to soft tissue ingrowth during the healing phase. It adapts easily to the graft site and is designed to maintain shape and size when placed. The membrane is available in sizes: 10x10mm, 15x20mm, 20x20mm and 20x30mm.

NobelClinician^® is at the core of the new integrated and more efficient treatment workflow.Nobel Biocare’s new integrated treatment workflow will more efficiently connect clinicians with dental labs for predictable results in less time. In the new workflow NobelClinician users, on either Windows^® or Mac^®, will have the option of linking with dental labs over the NobelConnect network to receive precise intra-oral model surface and tooth setup information scanned with the NobelProcera 2G Scanner. This more collaborative approach involving both clinician and dental lab provides better diagnostics and a truly visual experience thanks to new smart fusion technology that merges and aligns medical imaging from (CB)CT scans and tissue information received from the 2G Scanner.

The visual nature of the digitized treatment plan is particularly useful when explaining treatment proposals to the patient. With the NobelClinician Communicator iPad^® app, the treatment can be presented to patients at the planning stage in a way that is quickly understood.

To learn more, visit: creos^™ allograft solutions, creos.com; and NobelClinician^® Software, nobelbiocare.com/nobelclinician.

March 3, 2014 – The Dental Group Practice Association (DGPA), a nonprofit industry association representing more than 30 dental support organizations (DSOs), has announced the appointment of Quinn Dufurrena, DDS, JD, as its new executive director, following a nationwide search.

“Dr. Dufurrena’s appointment is the first step in a coordinated campaign to raise awareness and understanding of the value DSOs bring to dentistry. Much as the Affordable Care Act strives to increase patient access to quality care through innovative approaches to the health care system, the DSO model strives to do much the same,” said Doug Brown, co-president of DGPA and CEO of Affordable Care, Inc. “We are confident that Dr. Dufurrena will lead our association during an exciting period of evolution in the field of dentistry, one where more dentists are shifting from solo practitioners to group practices and the DSO model is breaking down barriers in order to deliver quality oral health care,” Brown added.

According to the American Dental Association (ADA), patients continue to experience a number of geographic, financial and educational barriers to quality oral health care. Use of the DSO model has shown success in overcoming these challenges by allowing dentists to focus on care rather than administrative paperwork, broadening dentists’ ability to accept a wide range of insurance plans and helping dentists care for their patients with the latest and most effective technologies.

“Dr. Dufurrena’s background – ranging from work as a solo practitioner working on policy for the ADA to serving as executive director of a state dental association – provides him unparalleled insight into the role DSOs and their supported dentists can and must play in helping to bridge our nation’s growing dental divide,” said Stephen Thorne, co-president of DGPA and founder, president and CEO of Pacific Dental Services.

Dr. Dufurrena comes to DGPA with more than 30 years of dental experience in government, private practice and nonprofits. He received his D.D.S. from the University of the Pacific in 1983 and his J.D. from Concord Law School in 2008. Most recently, he served as the executive director of the Colorado Dental Association. He also previously served as executive director of the Idaho Dental Association. Prior to those roles, he provided dental care to patients in a private practice and as part of the U.S. Navy Dental Corps. Beyond his chair-side duties, Dr. Dufurrena served an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine and worked at the ADA as a Hillenbrand Fellow.

“I’ve been committed to promoting and providing affordable, high quality oral health care throughout my entire career. These are the same values shared by all members of DGPA and their supported dentists,” said Dr. Dufurrena. “I am honored to have been selected and look forward to working with all stakeholders at the state and federal levels to help them better understand the role and value a DSO plays in supporting quality dental care to millions of Americans every year.”

He is replacing Dr. Ed Meckler who served as executive director since DGPA’s inception.

"We want to personally thank Dr. Meckler for his tireless dedication and passion on behalf of DGPA, and for his many contributions to building the organization during its formative years," Brown said.

Dr. Dufurrena will officially begin his role as executive director on March 3 and will be based in Denver, Colorado.

To learn more about Dr. Dufurrena and the DGPA, please visit: www.thedgpa.org.

Alexandria, Va., USA – The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) has announced that Adrien Hamedi-Sangsari, a student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry, has been selected as the first recipient of the AADR Student Advocate of the Year Award. This new award was created by the AADR National Student Research Group (NSRG) and the AADR Government Affairs Committee to recognize a student for outstanding contributions in advocacy for oral health research.

“I am pleased that Adrien Hamedi-Sangsari was selected as the recipient of the AADR Student Advocate of the Year Award and I appreciate his tireless advocacy on behalf of dental, oral and craniofacial research,” said David Johnsen, chair of the AADR Government Affairs Committee. “His ability to rally students in support of federal funding for research is commendable and he is deserving of this award.” Hamedi-Sangsari is the president of the UCLA Student Research Group (SRG). Last year, as president-elect of the UCLA SRG, he encouraged UCLA students to respond to action alerts and participated in the 2013 AADR/ADEA Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. Most notably, during the August congressional recess, Hamedi-Sangsari took the initiative and met with congressmen from the California delegation, including Rep. Waxman (D), Rep. Bass (D) and Rep. Sherman (D). These meetings enabled him to discuss the groundbreaking research at UCLA and the importance of increasing funding for biomedical research.

As the recipient of the AADR Student Advocate of the Year Award, Hamedi-Sangsari will receive travel and a one night hotel accommodation for participation in the April 8, 2014 AADR/ADEA Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill program. More information about the 2014 AADR/ADEA Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill is available at www.aadronline.org/advocacyday.