A team at University of Alberta has achieved for the first time through innovatory technology using low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) the regrowth of human dental tissue and teeth.

The system-on-a-chip minidevice offers a non-invasive method to recover jaw and dental tissue. "It's very exciting because we have shown the results and actually have something you can touch and feel that will impact the health of people throughout the world," said Dr. Jie Chen, from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the National Institute for Nanotechnology.

The wireless ultrasound minidevice would fit comfortably inside a patient's mouth wrapped in biocompatible materials. The unit will be easily mounted on an orthodontic bracket or a plastic removable crown. An energy sensor will ensure that the ultrasounds hit the target area of the teeth roots within the bone. The minidevice may be ready by the next year. "If the root is broken, it can now be fixed," said Dr. Tarak El-Bialy from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. "And because we can regrow the teeth root, a patient could have his own tooth rather than foreign objects in his mouth."

This technique will heal dental root resorption, caused by mechanical, infection, endocrine or chemical injury to dental tissue. Wearing orthodontic braces provokes progressive root resorption, which shortens the duration of brace wearing. The new device will permit the continued wearing of corrective braces.

Currently, approximately five million people in North America are wearing orthodontic braces. El-Bialy first found that ultrasounds stimulated dental tissue first on rabbits. LIPUS proved to be helpful also to jaw growth in hemifacial microsomia, a congenital syndrome where one side of the child's jaw/face is smaller compared to the other, normal, side. Those suffering from this syndrome pass through many surgeries to correct their face. "After proving it worked, we looked at creating a smaller ultrasound carrier where we can take the patient out as a variable," said El-Bialy. "Before this, a patient has to hold the ultrasound for 20 minutes a day for a year and that is a lot to ask."