Odontis

Odontis was a United Kingdom based dental company started by Professor Paul Sharpe, in association with King's College London. The company was focused on a technology of treating dental problems by using stem cells.

The idea was to use stem cells to grow new teeth that could replace missing teeth. The new tooth would be alive and nearly identical to the one that is missing.

The technology, if proved successful, would have huge potential as it will enable the maintenance of healthy teeth virtually throughout an entire lifetime. The new teeth of the patient will be exactly the same as his own. This will make it possible to avoid many problems that can be faced with artificial implants.

The technology would also bring new business opportunities for dentists and the companies in the field.

In 2004 the company claimed to have achieved the first promising results in an experiment with a mouse. The scientists have successfully implanted stem cells into a gum of a mouse and managed to grow a new tooth. Statements were made that the technology for growing new teeth would be available to the public in the near future, and as a result, an award of five hundred thousand pounds was made; however since the claim, nothing further has emerged.