An interesting article titled “Fully Guided Tooth Bud Ablation in Pigs Results in Complete Tooth Bud Removal and Molar Agenesis” appears in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery written by Leigh E. Colby and David P. Watson, Vol. 81, Issue 4, pp. 456-466, Apr. 2023, Published Dec. 16, 2022. The article seems to be a follow-up to a prior article discussed on this site in the post “Tooth bud abalation of wisdom teeth may be alternative to surgery in the future“. That study had shown that fully guided microwave tooth bud ablation (3TBA) could be used to successfully remove wisdom tooth tooth buds without damaging surrounding tissues in a study with 5 pigs. The most recent study used a 28-day longitudinal characterization study to determine if healing response following fully guided microwave ablation of tooth buds in pigs would result in the removal of targeted tooth bud tissues, molar agenesis, and no collateral tissue damage.
This study looked at 12 pigs who were 7 weeks old. The researchers used pigs as test subjects because there tooth bud development resembles that of humans. The study performed fully guided microwave ablation on 24 lower tooth tooth buds (#18 and #31) and looked at healing assessment from radiographic, using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging, and histological evaluations at 7, 14, and 28-day after ablation. Controls in the group did not have any treatment on the tooth buds. The researchers performed neurological assessment to determine if there was any impairment of inferior alveolar nerve function.
The authors found that healing was nearly complete at 28 days after ablation.There was no detectible impairment of inferior alveolar nerve function and there was no detected collateral tissue damage. There was no radiographic or histological evidence of mineralized tooth structure formation associated with treated tooth buds #18 and #31 at any time point. The authors feel the findings demonstrate that healing processes following after guided tooth bud ablation and removes the targeted tooth buds preventing tooth growth and bone growth. The authors state:
"The results of this study confirm the hypothesis that fully guided TBA is effective at inducing complete molar agenesis."The authors note several limitations of the study including no attempt made to obtain sequential CBCT images of the same subject animals in the 14 and 28-day subcohort and noted that drawing conclusions based on interspecies testing carries a degree of uncertainty when extrapolating effects in humans. Even so they feel the model enabled a detailed description of the post ablation healing cascade that can be reasonably expected in humans.
Photo by Jose Vazquez on Unsplash
Leigh E. Colby is the principal founder of TriAgenics and believes that believes this research shows how the the future of wisdom teeth management will look like patients ages 7 to 11. Next steps include getting more funding, FDA approval, and bringing this treatment to the marketplace. TriAgenics is hopeful to have sales of its Zero3 treatment kits in 2024.
TriAgenics business model is similar to Align Technology in that licensed dentists will send TriAgenics their patients’ x-rays and prescriptions for Zero3 TBA treatment and then TriAgenics will fabricate custom 3TBA surgical kits and send them to dentists to perform the 3TBA treatment. If this type of model is one day implemented it could radically change how wisdom teeth management occurs today. With wisdom tooth Bud ablation treatment patients will not experiences the complications of nerve damage and dry socket like they do today with surgery. Further there will be no pain and lengthy recovery times. Only time will tell if wisdom teeth management as we know it one day radically changes for the first time in over 100 years.