Histological analysis of human tooth development in NOD/scid mice

An increasing number of elderly people suffer from the loss of teeth due to periodontitis or dental caries. Currently accepted functional prosthetic rehabilitation includes removable or fixed prostheses, with or without osseointegrated dental implants. All of them, however, are foreign bodies for the organism. In this regard, the ideal materials are natural teeth, which do not stimulate inflammatory responses. Tissue engineering has made great progress in regenerating a variety of cell types, such as bone cells. Regenerated tooth would be of great use and importance as a material for novel dental implants. However, clear mechanisms of tooth formation have not yet been elucidated. We describe here an experimental model where normal human tooth morphogenesis and dentition occur in NOD/scid mice subcutaneous tissues. Our system would contribute not only to developing, but also understanding the process of human tooth development.