The human body has an innate capacity for regeneration. However, there are tissues - such as bone, especially in complex areas like the jaws - where this natural capacity is limited. This is a challenge for many people who, after losing teeth, are unable to undergo implants due to a lack of sufficient bone.
Today, science is beginning to offer a hopeful alternative: using the patient's own stem cells to stimulate bone regeneration. And the most promising thing is that this possibility no longer belongs to the future, but to the present.
The results of an international clinical trial funded by the European Union through the Horizon 2020 programme have recently been published, in which teams from France, Germany, Denmark and Norway have participated, along with two Spanish centres: the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and the International University of Catalonia (UiC). For the first time, the benefit of a pioneering therapy based on stem cells implanted in a synthetic bone substitute has been demonstrated in patients, a combination that has achieved significantly greater bone regeneration than that obtained with traditional methods.
The phase 2 trial was led by Professor Mariano Sanz, professor at the UCM and one of the most recognised voices in the field of periodontics and implantology. His research group has spent years exploring ways to stimulate the natural mechanisms of bone regeneration, with the aim of improving the quality of life of patients. "We want the bone to be able to rebuild itself three-dimensionally, recovering its shape, strength and function," explains Prof. Sanz. "In this way, the patient can receive dental implants in the ideal position and recover not only chewing function, but also aesthetics and confidence in their smile.
The study compared the new cell therapy - which uses autologous mesenchymal cells taken from the iliac crest in the hip - with the more common technique of grafting the patient's own bone. The results, published in Clinical Oral Implants ResearchThe results show that the three-dimensional bone reconstruction was almost doubled in the stem cell-treated group.
Beyond the numbers, this breakthrough opens a door to a new understanding of health: medicine that stimulates the body to heal itself. Stem cells act as a biological catalyst that awakens the body's regenerative potential. In this case, they are implanted into a bioabsorbable synthetic bone substitute, a kind of scaffolding that integrates into the body and gradually disappears, leaving living, functional, natural bone in its place.
The use of synthetic materials also offers advantages in terms of sustainability and safety, as it avoids the use of animal or human tissues. "These substitutes can be manufactured industrially with the ideal physico-chemical properties to promote regeneration," explains Sanz.
Although the results are very promising, the road to widespread clinical application still faces regulatory barriers and high costs. For this reason, researchers are already working on strategies to simplify and reduce the cost of these treatments. New lines of research include the use of allogeneic stem cells - from cell banks, not from the patient himself - or even the use of the secretome, i.e. the substances that cells secrete and which contain their regenerative properties. These alternatives would make it possible to avoid invasive extractions and reduce costs, making it possible for this type of therapy to reach more people.
"The ultimate goal is to make personalised bone regeneration an everyday reality, not a laboratory luxury," says Professor Sanz. "We want the patient to regain functionality, wellbeing and quality of life in a natural way.
Advances in biotechnology are changing the paradigm of health care: from treatment to training the body's regenerative capacity. Therapies such as this open the door to a more body-friendly, more biological and more conscious dentistry. Perhaps in a few years' time, regenerating a bone - just as today we regenerate muscle or skin - will no longer be a surgical challenge but a natural process, guided by the body's own intelligence.
