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In 1968, the very first Adult Dental Survey in England and Wales found, what now, seems to be a somewhat remarkable statistic - over a third of adults had none of their natural teeth. Considering where we are today in terms of our oral health as a nation, it is quite unthinkable. Thankfully, since then a transformation has taken place across the UK in terms of how we choose to look after our teeth. Tooth loss in adults still remains, but not nearly to the same extent. Today, only six per cent of adults in England and Wales are edentate, but new stem cell research could make any amount of tooth loss a thing of the past. Last week, reports from America have indicated that continuing work into stem cell research could one day make replacement teeth a distinct possibility. Previously, we have relied upon dentures and more recently, dental implants, to combat tooth loss, so is the idea of tooth regeneration, developed by stem cells in a laboratory the next step along the path to perfect health? As of yet, the increasing availability and affordability of cosmetic dental treatment has rightfully not replaced our day-to-day oral care routine. However, with the potential ease of simply being able to "grow" a new tooth adds a new and interesting dimension to oral care in the future. There is no doubt that such research is impressive as a feat of scientific achievement, and the concept of tooth regeneration, particularly in cases of lost, avulsed or cracked teeth through either sporting injuries or disfigurements could be of great help. Though I believe access to technology like this, along with any cost, are likely to make this development out of the reach of a majority of the populace, for the foreseeable future, my worry remains that the concept of being able to generate new teeth via a stem cell injection to the jaw has concerning implications when it comes to the motivation of oral care at home. It remains difficult to imagine a future where we can completely eliminate tooth loss. There will always be people whose oral health and function does not meet the best possible standards. Good oral health cannot be taken for granted, even in the young, and the variations between rich and poor, and to a lesser extent, geography, will always be very apparent. And it is for this reason that we must continue to support the message that prevention is better than the cure. Severe dental caries and other oral diseases that result from not taking correct care for our mouths, can still lead to the many systematic problems we have been hearing about for years - heart disease, strokes, diabetes, dementia, the list goes on. And unless scientists go on to develop "cures" for these diseases, we should not look towards stem cells as an adequate treatment for good oral health. One thing is for certain, the debate into stem cell research and any such implementation of stem cell procedures unquestionably have a long way to go. Maybe in generations to come we will look back with perfectly formed teeth, grown straight out of the lab, but for now, we will have to settle for taking pride, and taking care of, the teeth we are given. Keep smiling, Nigel
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