A few things to point out…
Dentists in North America will not likely be an obstacle to this, should it pan out. Who are the ones advocating for fluoride in water supplies more than anyone else? Dentistry is more committed to its own obsolescence that pretty much any other profession.
This article is thin and misleading. The pictures they show are on dogs. They don’t clarify whether any of the human trials had any changes (and I suspect that actually hasn’t been closely looked at given the focal nature of these kind of trials). We’re probably looking at 2 different studies, but sadly the reporter does not make this clear (one of the unfortunate side effects of the “sound byte” news reporting done in this day and age).
In general, dentistry has 3 diseases they deal with on a daily basis. Caries (decay), periodontal (gum) disease and occlusal disease (failing teeth due to a bad bite). Fixing cavities is not the big part of a dentist’s job, nor is it the most rewarding financially or in terms of professional satisfaction. This level of prevention/repair would certainly have to be professionally administered, and I suspect most dentists would approve if it works. What most people realize is that problems due to periodontal disease and even more so occlusal disease are by far and away the bigger expenses patients have to bear. Sadly, however, the profession is lagging in its recognition/understanding/treatment of occlusal disease (despite having some very good people talking about this for over 50 to 60 years) and it is the weak point in current dental education.
The “stem cell” thing regarding tooth repair is nonsense certainly with regards to decay. The cells that form the enamel are done and gone before the teeth erupt, and it’s not like you can drop stem cells anywhere that can effect repair.
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