The alleged discovery is supposed to “end the need for dentures forever.” According to a post viewed more than 730,000 times onX, South Korea has unveiled a “bioactive patch” capable of regrowing real, natural teeth.

Applied to the gums for 20 minutes a day, the patch allegedly repairs “cavities and enamel and causes new teeth to sprout.”

If human trials confirm these results, patients could start using the patch as early as 2026, according to the post. However, experts interviewed by The Observers warn that this discovery is fake.

A ‘discovery’ that cannot be found in scientific literature

The publications reporting the so-called discovery of the patch are highly suspicious. There are at least two versions of the alleged news, each attributing the patch’s creation to different teams and sources: scientists from Seoul National University and the journal Science Translational Medicine, according to anInstagram post, and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), according to an article on aKenyan news site.

However, there is no trace of these discoveries on the websites of the universities mentioned or in Science Translational Medicine, a sister publication to Science magazine. Moreover, there are no references to the patch in scientific literature, particularly on thePubMed website, as confirmed to our team by Pierre Layrolle, a researcher at Inserm, andAnne Poliard, professor emeritus at Paris Cité University.

“The lack of scientific publications proving the effectiveness [of the patch] shows that this is science fiction,” Layrolle said.

The researcher also points out that, in any case, the 2026 launch of a product in the experimental stage would be impossible. “We have never heard of a product being approved for market release after just one year, counting from today. You have to comply with the regulations of the Medicines Agency, which require a minimum of five years.”

Genuine research projects are not expected to come to fruition for at least ‘five to ten years’

However, scientists have been looking closely at the issue of tooth regeneration. British researchers at King’s College London are working on Tideglusib, a pharmaceutical molecule derived from a drug used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. This molecule activates stem cells in the dental pulp to repair lesions, such as deep cavities that reach the pulp, explains Poliard. “The Tideglusib derivative should enable the repair of damage in a fully formed tooth,” she says. But she also warned:

“The experiments worked on animals, but that doesn’t mean we’ll have this treatment on the market next year. As with any new drug coming to market, clinical trials in humans are essential to assess whether the molecule is non-toxic and effective.”

Another ongoing research project involves a tooth regeneration drug studied by Professor Katsu Takahashi of Kyoto University Hospital in Japan. It is an antibody that deactivates USAG-1, a protein that inhibits tooth formation.

Humans have two generations of teeth in their lifetime: baby teeth and permanent teeth. This drug would act on tooth formation by reactivating tooth buds in our jaws that are currently blocked in development. “This molecule is intended to regrow a functional tooth in patients with a mutation that blocks tooth development,” summarises Poliard.

But, once again, there is still a long way to go before it can be marketed and used routinely in dental practices. Non-toxicity and efficacy tests still need to be carried out.

Poliard warns against sensationalist claims on social media and in the press:

“I am convinced that we will eventually be able to regenerate teeth, but I find that [communication about dental regeneration] is extremely oversold in the press. People are talking about it, so it gives people hope when we are still a long way from being able to treat it. At best, solutions are not likely to arrive for another 5 to 10 years.”

This article has been translated from the original in French by Aurore Laborie.