Hepatocyte growth factor stimulates root growth during the development of mouse molar teeth.

Background And Objective: It is well known that tooth root formation is initiated by the development of Hertwig's epithelial root sheath (HERS). However, relatively little is known about the regulatory mechanisms involved in root development. As hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is one of the mediators of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in rodent tooth, the objective of this study was to examine the effects of HGF on the root development of mouse molars.