Scientists Look To Alligators To Solve Human Dental Problems
Scientists are investigating how alligators re-grow their teeth in a bid to solve human dental problems.
Alligators can have around 80 teeth in their teeth at any given time and they produce around 50 sets of replacement teeth, meaning that in their lifetime, they can go through more than 2,000 teeth. The ability to re-grow the giant teeth has lead scientists to research the process in a bid to replicate it in humans to help those who suffer from persistent dental problems.
Most vertebrates are able to replace old teeth again and again, but humans only have one replacement set. Researchers are hoping to study the replication process in alligators, which have many dental similarities to humans, to try and produce a method of re-growing human teeth. Like most mammals, alligators have teeth that are implanted in sockets in the jaw bone and secondary palates.
Professor Cheng-Ming Chuong and his colleagues from Southern California University have been studying American alligators using molecular analysis and modern scanning techniques; through their research they have discovered that the alligator tooth is made up of three parts in different stages of development. The teeth are geared up for replacement as soon as the old tooth falls out.
The findings of the study have been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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