By Danielle 
Tufts University scientists are developing a new kind of dental implant they hope will eventually feel and function like real teeth — right down to sending signals to the brain.
“They lack the nerve elements that natural teeth have.” That’s how Dr. Jake Jinkun Chen, professor of periodontology and director of the Division of Oral Biology at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, described conventional implants.
“As a result, patients often don’t experience the same sensory feedback. They can’t feel pressure or the texture of food the same way, which can lead to chewing problems or trauma.”
Chen is senior author of a preclinical study published in Scientific Reports in April, showing early success in rats with a “smart” dental implant and a gentler surgical approach designed to preserve surrounding tissue. The ultimate goal: to create a tooth replacement that restores sensory feedback — something traditional titanium implants can’t offer.
Dental implants are a growing treatment for tooth loss, especially as demand rises with an aging population. In Canada, the implant market is projected to grow from $399.2 million in 2023 to $768 million by 2030. In the U.S., the percentage of adults aged 20 and older with at least one dental implant increased from 1 per cent in the early 2000s to 5 per cent by 2016.
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While widely used, implants come with trade-offs. A 2023 study in the International Journal of Implant Dentistry found that natural teeth adjacent to an implant are more than twice as likely to develop periapical radiolucent lesions — signs of inflammation or infection in the jawbone — compared to teeth next to natural ones.
“When a tooth is extracted, you lose not just the tooth but also the surrounding soft tissues — nerves, collagen fibres, blood vessels, and other supporting structures,” said Chen. “As a result, patients often don’t experience the same sensory feedback. They can’t feel pressure or the texture of food the same way, which can lead to chewing problems or trauma.”
In the Tufts study, Chen’s team — including faculty members Qisheng Tu and Zoe Zhu, and postdoctoral researchers Siddhartha Das and Subhashis Ghosh — extracted a front tooth from rats and immediately inserted a coated implant into the socket. They used a “press-fit” technique, meaning the implant was inserted snugly into place without promoting the typical bone integration, or osseointegration, seen with traditional implants.
Biodegradable coating
What sets their design apart is its biodegradable coating, which contains dental pulp stem cells and growth factors. As the coating dissolves, it releases the stem cells, encouraging them to develop into nerve tissue. This may allow new nerves to regenerate around the implant — potentially restoring the lost sensory connection.
Six weeks after surgery, the implants remained stable in the rodents, with no signs of inflammation or rejection. Imaging showed a distinct space between the implant and the bone, suggesting the formation of soft tissue — not direct fusion — which could support nerve regrowth.
“We aim to promote nerve regeneration while also using stem cells — ideally from the patient — to encourage nerve ingrowth. This may help these patients regain a sense of perception when chewing,” said Chen.
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“Since the brain regions involved in proprioception are well-defined, we’ll be able to confirm whether a new, functional proprioceptive nerve has been established.”
Harvard imaging tech needed
Next, the team plans to investigate whether the regenerated nerves actually send signals to the brain. Using specialized imaging equipment at Harvard University, they’ll look for signs of brain activity in response to pressure on the implant — specifically in the areas associated with proprioception, the body’s sense of position and movement.
“Since the brain regions involved in proprioception are well-defined, we’ll be able to confirm whether a new, functional proprioceptive nerve has been established,” Chen explained.
The work is rooted in tissue engineering, a field that combines cells, scaffolds (materials that support tissue growth), and growth factors like proteins or RNA to encourage the body to rebuild tissue. Chen noted his group is also exploring the role of non-coding RNAs — molecules that don’t make proteins but regulate gene expression — in regenerating different types of tissues.
He sees their dental research as part of a bigger picture.
“We are interested in the relationship between oral and systemic diseases — things like type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s,” he said. “We recently submitted a grant application to study the role of periodontal pathogens in Alzheimer’s disease.”
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Chen has also applied for a U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant for $3.59 million to help fund the next stage of research on the smart dental implant.