Teeth reveal hidden signs of a rare bone disorder

Rena OKAWA, Kazuhiko NAKANO
Department of Pediatric Dentistry

Researchers at the University of Osaka developed new mouse models of hypophosphatasia that reproduce dental symptoms seen in patients. The models showed that teeth, surrounding bone, and tooth-supporting tissues can be affected even when skeletal symptoms elsewhere are mild. Differences between the models suggest that specific genetic changes influence dental symptoms, providing a new platform for studying disease mechanisms and developing dental treatments tailored to severity.

The article, “Creation and characterization of novel knock-in mouse models of hypophosphatasia,” was published in JBMR Plus at DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jbmrpl/ziag147.