AUSTRALIAN scientists are giving the dentally challenged something to smile about: the prospect of growing new teeth.

Stem cells are being used to grow new tissue around teeth in animals, a first step towards treating dental diseases in humans. The ultimate goal is for teeth to become the first complex organs to be created entirely from stem cells.

"I have no doubt that whole teeth regeneration is going to happen one day," said Mark Bartold, from the University of Adelaide's dentistry department.