Bone anabolic agents restore tooth-supporting bone in diabetic mice
Published in Biology, Drugs development & discovery, Journals.
Published October 29, 2026.
A mouse study reports that parathyroid hormone (PTH) and abaloparatide can increase tooth-supporting bone under diabetic conditions. Turkkahraman and colleagues published the findings today in the International Journal of Oral Science.
The researchers used an established type 2 diabetes model induced by a high-fat diet and streptozotocin. After four weeks of treatment, both agents increased alveolar bone volume and improved bone-height measurements in diabetic mice.
In non-diabetic animals, increased bone formation was accompanied by increased resorption, limiting net bone gain. In diabetic mice, the treatments promoted formation-associated responses without further increasing already elevated osteoclast measures.
Mechanistic experiments implicated PTH1R signaling in DMP1-Cre-positive cells, primarily osteocytes, alongside reduced sclerostin and Dkk-1 and enhanced Wnt signaling in periodontal ligament cells.
The results support further investigation of treatments for diabetic oral bone loss. They do not demonstrate improved tooth retention or dental implant survival in patients. The authors also identify a need for more direct dynamic measurements of bone formation and clearer identification of contributing cell populations.