Overview

• King’s College London team extracted keratin from wool to form a crystal-like scaffold on tooth surfaces that attracts calcium and phosphate to rebuild enamel in laboratory tests.
• The peer-reviewed study in Advanced Healthcare Materials confirms that keratin scaffolds halt early decay and seal nerve channels to relieve sensitivity.
• Scientists envision both a daily toothpaste and a professional gel delivery, using abundant waste hair and wool as a sustainable, low-cost protein source.
• Despite promising preclinical results, the approach requires manufacturing scale-up, allergenicity and safety assessments, and human trials before consumer use.
• Authors estimate that with industry partnerships and completed clinical studies, keratin-based dental products could reach the market in two to three years pending regulatory approval.