Keratin from sheep’s wool repairs tooth enamel—an eco-friendly breakthrough

In August 2025, a team from King’s College London published a study showing that keratin extracted from sheep’s wool can form a durable enamel-like coating on teeth. The film, applied to tooth surfaces and exposed to saliva minerals, built up over time by attracting calcium and phosphate ions. This novel, sustainable approach could become available in the form of keratin-based toothpaste or dentist-applied coatings within 2-3 years, potentially impacting the roughly 2 billion people worldwide affected by early tooth decay. Keratin provides a non-toxic alternative to traditional plastic resins and opens a pathway toward biologically inspired restorative materials.