Can a Drug Regrow Lost Teeth? Where the Research Stands
Not yet. A 2021 study from Kyoto University and the University of Fukui showed that an antibody blocking a protein called USAG-1 could grow new teeth in mice and ferrets born with missing teeth. A first safety study in people began in Japan in late 2024, but no tooth regrowth drug is approved anywhere, and the first intended patients are children born without several teeth, not adults who have lost teeth.
What question did the 2021 study ask?
Tooth development depends on two signaling systems, BMP (bone morphogenetic protein) and Wnt. They also control growth throughout the body, so drugs that act on them directly could have wide side effects. USAG-1 is a protein that dampens both signals. Mice that lack USAG-1 grow extra teeth. The researchers asked whether blocking USAG-1 could restore teeth in animals born without some of them, a condition called congenital tooth agenesis.
What did they find?
In several mouse models of inherited tooth agenesis, removing the USAG-1 gene or giving an antibody against USAG-1 allowed missing teeth to form.
Some antibodies blocked USAG-1's effect on both BMP and Wnt. Those harmed the animals' growth and survival.
One antibody blocked only the interaction between USAG-1 and BMP. It was the useful one. According to the researchers, a single dose was enough to grow a whole tooth.
The approach also worked in ferrets, which, like people, have baby teeth followed by adult teeth.
The likely mechanism is that the antibody rescues tooth buds that start to form but normally stop developing.
What has happened since?
The research group and a company spun out of the university, Toregem BioPharma, developed a humanized version of the antibody called TRG035. In late 2024, a Phase 1 study began at Kyoto University Hospital. It is a randomized, placebo-controlled study in about 30 healthy adult men, testing a single intravenous dose at increasing strengths. A Phase 1 study looks at safety and how the body handles a drug. It is not designed to show whether new teeth grow.
The developers have said the next step is a study in children with congenital absence of multiple teeth. Whether the approach could ever help adults who lost teeth to decay, gum disease or injury is a separate, longer-term question.
What are the limits?
The strong results so far are in animals.
Phase 1 tests safety in a small group. Larger trials are needed to show that a tooth actually forms in people, in the right place, with a normal shape and root.
Approval, if it comes, would be for a defined group of patients first.
What are the options for a missing tooth today?
Today a missing tooth is replaced with a dental implant, a bridge or a removable denture, and each has trade-offs. Our post on how dental implants work explains the parts and healing process, and our dental implants page describes how we approach implant care. If you are missing a tooth in Jacksonville, contact our office to talk through your options.
Sources
Murashima-Suginami A, Kiso H, Tokita Y, et al. Anti-USAG-1 therapy for tooth regeneration through enhanced BMP signaling. Sci Adv. 2021;7(7):eabf1798. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abf1798. Retrieved via PubMed.
Takahashi K, Kiso H, Mihara E, et al. Development of a new antibody drug to treat congenital tooth agenesis. J Oral Biosci. 2024;66(4):1-9. doi:10.1016/j.job.2024.10.002. Retrieved via PubMed.
Japan Registry of Clinical Trials. Phase I single-administration study of TRG035 in healthy adults (jRCT2051240154). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
About the author. CJ Henley, DMD, is a general dentist in Jacksonville whose practice focuses on cosmetic and restorative dentistry, dental implants and dental care around head and neck cancer. Meet Dr. Henley.
CJ Henley, DMD, PA · 3675 Hendricks Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32207 · 904-398-1549
Updated October 2026.